Blind Date
by PurseMonger
Summary: First impressions are important, so what happens when you make a bad one? Modern day AU.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** New modern day AU. You've been warned, Ranma is a jerk in this. Rated M for language and sexual content.

* * *

 **The Blind Date**

"No."

"But, Akane, sweetie, he's a nice boy."

"How do you know, Dad? Have you even met him?"

"Well...no. Not really. But he is the son of a childhood friend of mine."

"Daddy! You haven't spoken to this man for 10 years!"

"That doesn't make him less of a friend."

"Okay, fine, but you've never even met the guy. What if it turns out he's some kind of weird stalker?"

"Of course he's not. He comes from a good family!"

The blue-haired woman stared at her father in exasperation. She knew in his mind that statement made sense. How? She didn't have a clue. But she knew better than to argue with her father over such matters.

"Come now, sweetie, it's only one date. What is it going to hurt?" he said in a placating voice.

She rolled her eyes.

"It'll hurt. It'll hurt a lot. The last guy you set me up gave me a migraine! I couldn't understand a thing he was saying with that verbose style of speaking he had."

"I'm sure you'll like this one."

"That's what you said last time, but I ended up going on a second date with him because you kept pestering me, telling me that I didn't really give him a chance! He took me a poetry reading that night and I had to listen to one of his 'original works'! He went on for fifteen minutes!" Akane shivered at the memory. "Fifteen minutes, Dad!"

"How was I supposed to know? He's a good looking boy, he comes from a good family that happens to have money. I thought you would get along."

"Well, we didn't! Then the worse thing was Kuno wouldn't stop calling me for another date, regardless of how many times I turned him down. He showed up outside my dorm with roses and threatened one of the guys in my study group!"

"Well, I'm sure he didn't mean any harm, he was just a little too exuberant. I know that one didn't work but I'm sure you'll enjoy this date. Please, sweetie? Do it for me."

Seeing he wasn't getting very far, he adopted a sorrowful look on his face and sighed deeply.

"I just want to see you settled and happy, like your sisters. Is that really too much to ask for? That I see you happy the way your mother and I were?"

She groaned as she resigned herself to the inevitable. Her father always knew how to get her to do what he wanted. At the mention of her mother, all her resistance crumbled.

Nabiki was right, she was a total pushover.

* * *

"No."

"But, Ranma, just one date."

Ranma shook his head.

"No, Ma! Don't you remember how long it took me to get rid of the last one you set me up with? She was a stage five clinger!"

"But you liked her at first and she was such a nice girl."

The pig-tailed man snorted. "Nice girls don't let guys do those kinda things to them. Especially not on the first date," he muttered without thinking.

Realizing the room was suddenly too quiet, he look up to see his mother glaring at him and his sister trying to hide a smirk.

"Boy! Watch what you say in front of your Mother and sister!" his father shouted indignantly. But behind their backs, his father gave him a big grin and a thumbs up.

He winced when his mother reached over and cuffed him on the side of his head, causing his sister to snicker at him.

Typical.

"Well, if you didn't want to keep dating her, you should have broken it off sooner."

Ranma shrugged, unable to defend himself.

What could he say? That he never dated Shampoo and only used her as a booty call when he was drunk or just horny?

It didn't hurt that she was so damn hot, too. She had ginormous perky breasts, a tiny waist, a nice round ass that he loved to take from behind and legs that went on for days. She had a rather pretty face and those plump lips that she used to give him such good head. She was perfect and was as willing to do him in any way he asked. So yeah, he kept calling her because he was a guy and she was there and very willing. He knew he should have deleted her number sooner but damn if she wasn't a good fuck.

Too bad she turned out to be a complete psycho.

It started off slowly, little things that didn't really alarm him. She would turn up at his house when he was coming home from work. He would let her in and she would make him dinner before they had sex. Or how she would suddenly, turn up at a bar he was at and he'd take her home because he was too drunk to care. He should have known something was up but didn't give her too much notice.

Not until that night.

He had taken a girl he met at the coffee shop on a date and they were getting hot and heavy on the couch. Just as he was about to move her to his bedroom, the door to his apartment swung open and before he knew it, Shampoo was there cursing and screaming in Chinese as she threw things all around his apartment. She then lunged at the girl. Luckily he was able to hold her back while the coffee shop chick...what's her name ran for it.

It was his turn to get angry when he learned that she had made a key to his apartment!

Then she began crying and telling him how much she loved him and how she couldn't live without him. He kicked her out and changed his locks the next morning. He deleted her number and hadn't called her since. But she still managed to show up once in a while at some random place he was at. It gave him the creeps.

So no, he didn't want to go on another blind date. Even if he got himself in that damn situation in the first place.

"Ranma, you're going on this date. Her father is an old friend of mine. It's already been set up. It's final."

Father and son stared at each other. Neither blinking.

"Ranma," his mother said, trying to get his attention. "Please do this for me. It's been so long since you've had a girlfriend. I just want you to be happy. Can't you please give her a chance?"

He looked over and saw his mother's face full of worry and concern. He sighed. He could go head to head with his father any day but there really wasn't much he could do against that look.

He looked over to see his sister with a wide smile on her face as she mouthed, _Sucker_.

* * *

Akane sat at her vanity, applying her make-up. She inched herself back and examined herself critically and decided that she needed some blush. She applied some expertly before leaning back once again. She gave her reflection a small nod of approval, happy with the way she looked.

She sighed as she began to put her stuff away. She didn't know why she bothered. It was all going to be wasted on some guy who was most likely going to bore her to death.

She frowned, upset at her own reaction. For all she knew, he could be a perfectly nice guy. It wasn't his fault that she had to go on this date. In fact, he was probably dreading it as much she was. There was absolutely no reason for her to go into this date with a bad attitude. She decided right then to try to be positive about the whole thing.

And if things went really well, maybe he could even be _The One_. You never knew, it could happen.

She snorted. Okay, that was being too optimistic. But starting off the night with a negative attitude would only assure the date would go badly. If anything, maybe she would make a new friend.

She smiled as she went to her closet to pick out a dress for the evening.

* * *

Ranma sat at the table waiting for his date to arrive.

He was wearing black jeans, a red button up shirt rolled at the sleeves, with the top two buttons undone and some comfortable dress shoes. He knew he looked good and the women checking him out as they walked in just served as confirmation of the fact.

But he didn't make the effort for his date. No, definitely not for her.

He would go on this date and end it as soon as he could, then he would meet up with some friends and check out a new club where he would have his pick of hot chicks. All he had to do was to get rid of his date as quickly as possible first and he had a plan; he would just be as obnoxious as possible in hopes that he would be rid of the unknown girl before it got too late.

He knew that this girl had done nothing wrong and was probably a nice person but the last thing he needed was another girl clinging onto him. He always seemed to end up with girls that seemed to fall in love with him because of his looks and would not get the hint that he didn't want them in his life. He wasn't going to risk this girl getting a crush on him, so he would make sure that she didn't like him at all. It was safer that way.

Glancing at his watch, he noticed that he had about five minutes until his date was supposed to start. He took out his iPhone and checked his text messages. He had a couple from some friends talking about what their plans were that evening. He also had a couple from some girls that he had met last weekend. He put his phone on vibrate before slipping it back into his pocket.

Looking up, he saw the maitre d' head his way with an attractive girl in a sun dress and short blue hair. Ranma smirked. If this was his date, then at least he had a cute face to look at for a little while. It was disappointing that she was wearing a conservative sundress and not something that showed a little more skin. But he was still able to tell that she probably had a tight little body. He had to hand it to his parents, they never set him up with uggos.

When they reached his table, Ranma stood up to greet the girl properly as the maitre d' discreetly walked away.

"Hello, I'm Ranma Saotome, it's nice to meet you," he said cordially before giving her a bow.

"Hi, my name is Akane Tendo, it's nice to meet you, too," she said with a polite smile on her face before giving him a bow.

They sat down and stared at each other awkwardly for a moment.

"So..." They began at the same time. "No you..." they continued simultaneously.

Akane chuckled softly at the awkwardness of the situation. She waved her hand at him in a gesture to tell him to continue what he was saying.

"So, Akane, what do you do?"

"Oh, I'm still a student. I'm in my last year at University. You?"

"Me too. I'm studying education and will be graduating next spring."

"That's interesting, what do you plan on teaching?"

"Martial arts. I'm hoping on running my own dojo one day."

Akane's eyes widened in surprise before she chuckled to herself.

 _See? Coming in with a positive attitude was already paying off. We do have something in commo_ n, she thought to herself. Plus it didn't hurt that he was pretty good looking.

She was about to respond when the waiter came by and interrupted them. She looked up to find an attractive looking male in his twenties greet them

"Hello, my name is Haru and I will be your waiter this evening." He made eye contact with her quickly, his eyes only widening a moment before he looked at Ranma. His gaze turned automatically back to the pretty girl as she looked at him with the prettiest eyes he ever saw. He realized that he was staring at her when she gave him a questioning look.

He cleared his throat and added, "For our specials, we have a lovely pan seared duck with orange sauce over a rice pilaf and poached baby carrots, and filet mignon with sautéed mushrooms, roasted fingerling potatoes and grilled asparagus. Have you had a chance to look over the menu or would you need more time?"

"No need. The lady will have the duck special and I will have the steak. Can you please also bring us two glasses of pinot noir please?" He handed his menu to the waiter who nodded and took the menu from in front of Akane before walking away.

The blue-haired girl sat with a grimace on her face as she tried to process what happened. Did he really just order for her? Without even letting her look at the menu first? Never before had she had a date that was high-handed enough to order for her. Sure the duck sounded wonderful and she probably would have ordered it herself but she wanted the chance to choose for herself!

She took a breath to calm herself. There it was again. Her temper. She was fiercely independent and when anyone threatened that she reacted badly. Maybe he had just wanted to be nice and offer up something that he knew would be good.

A little of what she was feeling must have shown on her face.

"Don't worry, you'll like it."

 _See?_ she thought to herself and had a moment to feel silly for her overreaction.

"All the girls I take here seem to like it. Plus, it's pretty lean so you don't have to worry about gaining weight." He gave her a flirtatious wink.

Akane blinked.

And blinked again, not believing the things that had come out of his mouth.

Before she could react, the waiter brought out their salads and glasses of wine. She thanked him and began to eat what turned out to be the longest dinner of her life.

* * *

The blue-haired girl nodded as she listened to yet another story. Akane's face felt stiff from the effort of keeping the polite smile on her face. It was either that or she would scream. This one was about Ranma placing first in some martial arts tournament. The previous one was about him scoring the winning goal in a soccer game. The one before that was about...oh hell she couldn't remember. It seemed like he had an endless supply of stories about how he had won a tournament or made a critical score in some game.

She mentally rolled her eyes as she nodded automatically at one of his pauses and made a noncommittal noise. She was making her way quickly through her duck - which was delicious - because she had not had a chance to say anything.

Just then the maitre d' walked by leading a group of four smiling women past them as they made their way to their table. Ranma actually stopped in his story to flash the women a flirtatious smile and wink as they walked by, causing a couple of them to giggle. The two girls in the back finger waved to him before whispering to each other. Ranma turned his head around as he watched them walk by.

One of them looked over her shoulder clearly giving Akane the once over before sending her a superior smirk. She flipped her hair as she turned around and began to sway her hips in an exaggerated manner.

Gritting her teeth, the blue-haired woman clenched her hands in her lap before she reached out for her wine glass. She gulped the entire contents and placed it back on the table before he even turned around.

This had to be the most rude, egotistical, self-centered man she had ever met! Ugh. The only reason she hadn't gotten up and walked out on the date sooner was because their parents were friends. If this had been anyone else she would have walked out long ago.

She wanted nothing more than to punch him in the face. Or better yet, judo throw him into a wall. Or kick him hard enough so he'd fly into low earth orbit, like in a manga. Oh how she wished she could pull a hammer out of a space pocket and smash him over the head with it!

As she continued to think of ways to punish the idiotic male in from of her, a real small but malicious smile graced her face when Ranma turned around.

Ranma turned around hoping to have finally pushed the girl to her limit but was shocked to see that she was smiling. Not the absent smile she had been giving him but a real one. He sighed. How the hell could she smile at being so blatantly disrespected like that? Maybe she was crazy. That would explain why she needed to be set up on a blind date.

Then suddenly her smile turned vicious and her eyes flashed dangerously, not even making eye contact with him. The look on her face was a little frightening, to be honest. He cleared his throat hesitantly, grabbing her attention. For a moment she looked at him with such a fire in her eyes that he was mesmerized. And if he were honest, a little turned on.

Then as quickly as it appeared, the fire was gone, replaced by the cool, polite smile on her face. He wondered at the disappointment he felt before he picked another story to bore her with. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and smiled as a new thought came to him.

He reached into his pocket and pulled it out. He wasn't expecting anything important, it was only a text from one of his friends. But he still spent the next couple of minutes going through his missed messages responding to each.

By the time they had finished dinner, she had begun fantasizing about taking her fork and stabbing it into the hand that he had so casually placed on the table. Surprised by her own violent thoughts, she carefully placed her fork on her plate and placed her hands in her lap.

Thankfully a busboy came by just then to clear her plate and saved her date from harm and her from assault charges.

The waiter came to the table a moment later. "I hope everything was to your satisfaction," he said.

Even though the waiter knew he shouldn't, he couldn't help but give his attention mostly to the pretty girl sitting at the table. There was just something about her that piqued his interest. Maybe it was the way she was suffering silently through what was obviously a horrible date. Or it could have been that he just liked the way her eyes lit up her face.

"Everything was wonderful, thank you," she replied, giving him a smile.

"Wonderful. Can I interest you in some dessert? We have a delicious crème brulee and a decadent chocolate cake."

"No, thanks. As you can see, she's trying to watch her weight."

The waiter stiffened and finally turned his attention to the pig-tailed man also seated at the table. The men held a silent conversation with their eyes before the waiter looked away, intimidated. He cleared his throat.

"Of course," he said tightly before he left the couple alone.

It annoyed Ranma that his waiter had the nerve to flirt with his date right in front of him. It didn't matter that he had no interest in her himself, it was the damned principle of the thing. Of course he wasn't going to let the insult go unchallenged. He felt a sense of smugness at winning their little staring contest.

Akane sat there grinding her teeth together. She could deal with self-centeredness. She could deal egotistical. She could even deal with rudeness. But she drew the line at being out right insulted. She had done nothing but try to be polite on this stupid date and there was no justifications for his actions. She hadn't wanted to be there either but at least she had been polite about it.

She waited until the waiter left and pulled her clutch to her lap. She pulled out a few bills and put them in the middle of the table - resisting the urge to throw them in his face - earning a raised eyebrow from the pig-tailed boy.

"That should cover my half of dinner. I would say it was a pleasure to meet you but that would be a lie." she said icily, her eyes as hard as stone. She got up and walked out of the restaurant without another word.

She swore, that this was the last blind date she would ever go on. And this time she meant it!

* * *

"I'm telling you that was the worse date, I've ever had! The guy was completely obnoxious. It's no wonder he had to be set up on a blind date! I can't imagine that he would get any of his own dates with that personality."

 _"It couldn't have been that bad."_

"It was! He couldn't have been ruder if he tried! This guy was even worse than Kuno!"

 _"Well, it's still early, come out with me tonight! I'm going to be meeting that new guy I've been seeing at a club. You can meet him and I'm sure he'll bring some of his friends!"_ Ukyo said with a giggle.

Akane groaned. "Okay, well have fun, I'm going to be staying home and watching a movie."

 _"Awww. I was just kidding! He'll probably have some friends with him but I'm not trying to set you up with any of them. I promise!"_

"I know, but I think I should stay home anyways. I'm tired."

 _"Please, Akane! I need you! I don't want to meet his friends alone,_ " she begged shamelessly.

"Ukyo, I really just want to stay home."

 _"Please! Pretty please! I'll take you out to lunch tomorrow. We can go get those parfaits you like so much. My treat. Please?"_

"Okay. Okay. I'll go."

 _"I'll pick you up at 10!_ " she said quickly and hung up before her best-friend could change her mind.

The blue-haired girl plopped down on her bed in exhaustion. Geez, Akane thought to herself as she rubbed her forehead, I really am a pushover.

* * *

He was hanging with his boys, the music was loud, the drinks were good, and the girls were hot. In Ranma's opinion, life was perfect.

He took another swig of his beer as he eyed the girls on the dance floor.

"Do you see them?"

The pig-tailed boy rolled his eyes at his idiotic friend.

"I've never met them. I couldn't tell you if I were looking right at them."

"Oh. Yeah, right," he said a little red in the face as he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment before looking through the crowd again.

Ranma turned around and eyed the dance floor again. It was still early in the evening but the dance floor was already full. There were couples making out, guys trolling the perimeter checking out the girls, and his favorite sight, girls grinding against each other.

His eyes tracked the floor until he spotted two girls on the far side of the dance floor. One in particular grabbed his attention. Her top was practically nonexistent, only covering the very bottom of her spine, her shoulders and back left completely bare. She was wearing a short skirt that swayed enticingly with each swing of her curvy hips. It was mesmerizing the way the hem moved back and forth, only barely managing to cover her ass. He couldn't look away and could only hope that with each movement the skirt went up a little higher. Just one more inch and he would have a glimpse of what was underneath.

He felt a tap on his shoulder and looked around to see his friend standing next to him. He pointed to the two girls Ranma had been staring at.

"There she is."

 _Fuck_ , he thought disappointed. "The one in the skirt?"

"Nah, the one next to her."

Smiling now, Ranma said, "Lead the way," before following his friend over to the two girls.

The pigtailed boy laughed as he watched his friend wrap his hands around the hips of the girl wearing jeans, earning him an elbow to the face. Ryoga was always a bit of a moron. But it looked like his new girlfriend was used to it as she apologized and the fanged boy brushed off the attack. She then greeted him with a hug and kiss before turning and introducing her boyfriend to her friend.

The girl in the skirt laughed at the entire interaction. He walked up as the introductions finished and the group turned to him. He finally took a good look at the girl he'd been watching and he liked what he saw. She had short dark hair, large brown eyes, and a smile that took his breath away.

That is until her face fell. Her lips drew into a tight line as her eyes narrowed at the sight of him.

"You!" she shouted as a she pointed a finger at him.

* * *

 **A/N:** I have a rough outline for this story and have a general idea about where it's going and how it's going to end, but I wanted to post this chapter to see if anyone is interested before I write anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Yeah, it's me..." Ranma replied slowly as he stared at the short-haired girl, confused as to why she had become so angry.

Ryoga and Ukyo gave each other puzzled looks before turning their attention back to their friends.

"Do you know each other?" the fanged man asked.

"Nah, I've never met her before," Ranma replied easily before adopting a smile he knew women loved. "I'd've remember someone as beautiful as you," he added with a wink.

Akane rolled her eyes. "You have got to be kidding me. You really don't remember me?"

"So you do know each other!" Ukyo exclaimed in surprise.

"Oh, we know each other all right."

Ranma's eyebrows quirked. It seemed odd that this girl seemed to be so certain that they had meet each other before, and if her reaction was any indication, he did something to really piss her off. He wondered vaguely if he had slept with her and never called her after.

He took a small step back to take a good look at her, and not just at the fun parts that he usually paid attention too. He took in the ankle booties that she wore and let his eyes run up her bare legs that seemed to go on forever before he reached the short skirt he had been so fascinated with. His gaze went up to her narrow waist before landing on the perky breasts she had on display.

No, he hadn't slept with her. He definitely would have remembered playing with those fun bags. She had a superior pair of tits.

He begrudgingly brought his eyes to her long slender neck and back to her face. Her eyes were done in a sultry smokey look, her cheeks were pink, whether from dancing or blushing, he didn't know, and her full, lush lips were pursed but shiny with some sparkly lipgloss. He normally liked long hair on girls, but the short blue hair - which was slicked back on the sides and puffed up in the middle, giving her an edgy look - seemed to suit the girl. That was it! Maybe she changed her hair since the last time they saw each other.

"Umm. Did you cut your hair or something since we met?" Ranma asked hopefully.

"No."

Ranma scratched the back of his head, lost.

"How do you know him?" Ukyo asked.

"We went on a date."

"Really?" Ranma asked surprised.

"Yes, really," she said in exasperation.

"Five hours ago."

Ranma laughed. There was no way the sexy looking woman standing before him was the conservative girl he had dinner with earlier and he told her just that.

"No way! You're too hot to be that chick. She was all prim and proper with a thick waist," he said with a shake of his head. "She had this totally unflattering dress on..."

He gave her another once over before he looked at her face again and finally it clicked. The pig-tailed man's eyes widened in recognition and disbelief.

"Akari? No, umm Aiko...no, Ami..." he said with a furrowed face. His face lit up and he snapped his fingers together. "Akira! That's it. Akira, right?"

"It's Akane," the blue-haired girl said through gritted teeth.

"Wait, _this_ is the guy you went out with earlier?" Ukyo exclaimed in disbelief before moving closer to her friend.

"Yes. Do you believe me now?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Definitely," the cook said with a shake of her head. The guy was good looking, she had to give him that. But he had a serious case of foot-in-mouth syndrome. She patted her best friend on the shoulder in a sign of support and pulled her off to the side.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know he was going to be here."

"Of course, you didn't know he'd be here. Don't be sorry, it's not your fault. It's just some weird coincidence no one could have predicted." Akane sighed and rubbed her closed her eyes. "I definitely should have stayed home. I could be eating ice cream in my PJs watching a movie right now," she added wistfully.

"Well, let's go. We can stop off at the store on the way home and pick up both. Along with some whipped cream and a ton of chocolate."

Akane smiled. It was so like Ukyo to ditch her date when faced with an upset friend, and the blue-haired girl loved her for it. They were best friends after all, and she would have done the same had their positions been reversed.

Shaking her head, Akane said, "No. It's fine. We're here already and you've been looking forward to this. There is no way in hell I'm going to let this jerk ruin anymore of my day. I'm just going to run to the bathroom really quick. I'll find you when I'm done." She grabbed her friend's hand and squeezed it before taking off.

Ukyo watched her friend walk off in worry, a frown on her face. Normally she would go with her to the bathroom to make sure she was okay but she sensed Akane needed a moment to herself. She turned around and saw Ryoga talking to his friend.

"What the hell did you do, Ranma?"

"Nothing!" he defended automatically.

"Ranma!"

"Fine. She was that blind date I told you about. You know, the one my parents set me up on? Well, I was afraid I was going to end up with some chick as crazy as Shampoo. So...I kinda decided to make sure she didn't fall for me."

"And how did you do that?" the fanged man asked with a growl.

Ranma shrugged and rubbed the back of his head. He knew he had been a dick during that date, he just did what he thought he needed to. He never thought he would see her again, much less so soon.

"It doesn't matter," he said, brushing off the question. "I'll apologize, okay?"

"Fine."

Ryoga glanced at the girl he was dating, who had been watching them for a while now. He knew how girls talked to each other and judged guys by their friends.

He poked his friend in the chest and said in a low tone, "You better not screw this up for me or I'm gonna beat the crap out you."

Ranma just rolled his eyes and said, "You can try."

Ryoga clenched his hands at the slight but decided to shrug it off. Getting into a fist fight with his best-friend, no matter how friendly would definitely not impress the chef. Besides, Ranma had taken enough of his attention for the night, so he made his way over to Ukyo, hoping their date hadn't been ruined so early in the night.

* * *

Upon leaving the ladies' room and still feeling...irked, would be the word she would use, Akane decided it would be prudent to go the long way around before joining their little group. She really didn't want to spoil Ukyo's night and didn't want to risk being around Ranma anymore than absolutely necessary.

Already annoyed from the date, the fact that he didn't recognize her at all, had been insulting. Then having him call her plain, while calling her hot at the same time, not to mention thick waisted, had been another slap in the face. It galled her to no end. She wasn't a vain woman; she didn't skate by on her looks, or use them to get her way. But she knew she was attractive; the sheer amount of people who complimented her on her looks made it something hard to ignore. She hated to admit it but both encounters with the obnoxious Saotome had wounded her ego.

She shook her head, frustrated with how her day had gone. She took a deep breath and tried to relax before she headed to the bar. She quickly got the bartender's attention when she flashed him a smile and ordered vodka with cranberry juice over ice. When he handed her the drink she reached into her pocket for cash when suddenly someone slipped some bills on the counter in front of her.

"I've got this. Can I get a gin and tonic, too? Keep the change."

The bartender looked slightly disappointed at the new arrival but collected the bills and went to get the other drink.

Akane grabbed her drink and turned towards the stranger, intending to give him money for her drink. While it was flattering when guys offered to buy her drinks, she really wasn't in the mood to deal with someone who didn't even ask for permission first.

She turned around with a polite smile on her face. "Thanks but I can buy..." her smile dropped when she saw who it was. "Oh. It's you." She stared at him for a moment, unsure of what to do. "Thank you," she said stiffly before taking a sip of her drink and walking away from the bar, and the man in front of her.

Just then the bartender came back with Ranma's drink and he grabbed it before going after the girl. It really irked him that she dismissed him so easily but he knew he deserved the treatment. If any guy had treated his sister like that, he would have beaten the bastard senseless.

He caught up to her at a table when she stopped to put her drink down. He placed his hand on her shoulder, trying to get her attention but it only caused her to stiffen and quickly jerk away from him. She turned around quickly and glared at him before her shoulders relaxed and she rolled her eyes.

"Oh, it's you again."

"Yeah, it's me again. Who'd you think it was gonna be?" he asked annoyed.

"Did you want something?" she asked completely ignoring his question.

Sighing, Ranma ran his hand against the back of his neck. He hated apologizing to people. "Look, I know I was a dick at dinner. I shouldn't've treated you like that. I'm sorry."

There. Short, sweet, and done.

Akane put her hands on her hips and furrowed her brows at him. _Does he really think he's going to get off that easy?_ she thought to herself. She continued to stare at him unblinkingly.

Growing uncomfortable under her unflinching stare Ranma added, "Look, it wasn't personal, okay? My parents cornered me into going out with you and I've had some bad experiences with blind dates they've set me up on. So I was rude to you on purpose, hoping to end the date as soon as possible."

"Did it ever cross your mind that I didn't want to be there either? That I got pushed into it by my father? You could have just told me when we first met that you weren't interested and we could have gone our separate ways or worse sat there politely having a quick dinner."

Ranma shrugged. "Yeah, it crossed my mind. But there was no way we could'a just left after meeting. I promised my ma I would take you to dinner and she can _always_ tell when I am lying."

"Okay, but you couldn't have at least been polite to me? We could have had dinner and just left on friendly terms."

"Well, I didn't want to risk you falling for me, so I acted like a jerk," he said bluntly.

Akane looked at him confused, trying to figure out what he had been thinking. "So you're saying what? That you thought I would fall in love with you at first sight and not be able to resist...your charming personality or your animal magnetism?" she asked sarcastically.

Ranma frowned. When she said it like that, it sounded stupid. He cleared his throat and answered, "Something like that."

Akane stood shocked. She had never before met anyone so egotistical in her life. Sure, Ranma was a good looking guy, even in her annoyed state she couldn't deny that. But for him to think that she, or any girl, would just fall for him just because of his looks was ridiculous.

The pig-tailed man was further annoyed when suddenly the girl before him started laughing. Laughing so hard she had to clutch her side and tears came to her eyes.

Feeling a lot better about the situation, Akane picked up her drink and just shook her head.

"You have nothing to worry about, Ranma. Your plan worked, there's no way I'd fall for you."

Ranma furrowed his brows as he watched her walk away.

* * *

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, don't worry about it."

Ukyo looked at her friend in concern but noticed that she did seem happier than she had all night.

"Did something happen?"

"Yes, but it's not important and I'll tell you about it later."

Taking her at her word, the chef nodded. "Okay."

Ukyo grabbed her friend by the hand and brought her over to where their little group had been sitting. When they reached the group, her date stood immediately to greet them.

"You two haven'e officially met yet, Akane this is Ryoga. Ryoga, Akane."

The two bowed to each other politely before taking some seats.

"So, Ryoga, why don't you tell me a little about yourself?" she asked politely.

The fanged man just laughed loudly and awkwardly for a second before turning red at the apparent attention. Next to him, Ukyo's eyes sparkled in amusement and the blue-haired woman relaxed as she watched their interaction.

* * *

Akane was finally having fun. She ran into a few more of her girlfriends so she didn't feel like such a third wheel with Ukyo and her new boyfriend. He was a little shy and a little awkward at times, and despite his lousy taste in friends, Ryoga seemed like a good guy.

It was obvious that he was smitten with her best-friend. He never strayed more than a few feet away from her, he was quick to offer to get her another drink, and had not gotten too handsy with her while dancing. She'd have to spend more time with him before making a final judgment call but for now she was satisfied that he wasn't some sociopath or someone who just wanted to hook up with the chef. It was fun watching them together as they tried to figure each other out.

It also helped her try to ignore a certain pig-tailed man, but as much as she tried not to think of him, she seemed to see him everywhere she went. She just made it her mission to avoid him whenever possible.

* * *

He really didn't understand her. She dressed like _that_ but didn't really seem to like the attention her outfit brought her. Or she didn't like a specific type of attention.

At first it took a while for him to figure it out. A lot of guys had come up to her, asking her to dance, or that's what he presumed. But half the guys she'd brush off and the other she would talk with, and of them she danced with even fewer. At first he thought she was just flicking off the losers and talking to the guys she thought were hot, because that is exactly what he would have done. But when she starting dancing with one of the nerdiest looking guys there he threw that theory out the window.

How was she was choosing these guys? Was it what they were wearing? Who seemed to have money? How tall they were? He had no idea and the more he watched the more confused he became.

There was a gambit of guys who approached her, which didn't surprise him. They ranged from short to tall, skinny to heavy, from grungy to nicely dressed. And the types of guys she danced with seemed to vary widely too, there seemed to be no rhyme or reason to her actions.

That was until he saw one guy she was dancing with reach out and grab her by the hips and pull her into him. She quickly stepped out of his grasp and glared at the man. They had a short exchange before she left the dance floor alone. After that incident, it was simple for him to figure out. It wasn't _who_ asked her to dance but _how_ they asked her that mattered.

Anyone who approached her and grabbed at her or touched her in any way was quickly brushed off. With that knowledge, the glare she sent him earlier when he grabbed her shoulder made total sense.

Guys who did approach her normally but ended up saying something sleazy to her were treated to cold glares before she told them to go away. One drunken asshole suggested she join him in one of the bathroom stalls. She gave him the type of look that seemed to make a man's balls shrink back into his body and the jerk walked away quickly. Ranma couldn't blame him, as the dark aura she gave off even made him sweet a little.

The music was loud and he only knew what happened because he witnessed the entire interaction when he just happened to be walking by. It wasn't his fault the place was crowded and he had no choice but to walk close to where she was standing to get by. Nope, not his fault at all.

He also noticed that she didn't dance with one person very long. One song and she left the guys to head back to her friends. He hadn't seen her give her number to anyone but she did accept a few business cards.

And how did he see all this? Because no matter where he was, or where she was, his gaze seemed to find her the entire damn night. It pissed him off.

He had no idea why, either. While she was one of the more attractive girls in the place, there were others who were equally attractive or more so. In fact, he had been talking to one who seemed more than interested in him but he couldn't keep his eyes off _her_. Distracted, he ended up making a lame excuse about going back to his friends and took her number.

He had no idea what it was about the girl that interested him so much. She was hard to figure out, unlike most of the girls he dated. She surprised him at dinner by walking out but paying for her meal first. Most of the girls he dated were more than happy for him to foot the bill for every meal. Then there was the way she dressed. How did one person go from Mary Ann to Ginger so easily? Who was she, the girl next door or the vixen?

Maybe he was so focused on her because of the guilt he felt from the way he had treated her earlier. But he figured that it was most likely the challenge she had unwittingly issued him. Her saying there was no way she would fall for him only made him want to prove her wrong. Because if there was one thing Ranma Saotome loved, it was a challenge. That was it, there was nothing more to it. Yup, absolutely nothing more to it.

So he tried to push thoughts of her aside and tried to ignore her. But damn it if it didn't work.

The worst part was while he was so preoccupied with her, she was having a grand 'ol time. She probably hadn't given him a thought sine they last talked.

 _It's a good thing. This is what you wanted,_ the pig-tailed man thought to himself. And as often as he repeated it to himself, he couldn't help but still feel annoyed by the entire situation.

Fuck. He needed another drink.

* * *

"So, Akane, how was your date?"

Said girl stiffened slightly at the question. She knew her father would ask her about it sooner or later and had already figured out how to answer.

"It was fine, Dad."

"Oh, that's wonderful! So when are you two going out again?"

"We're not."

"But...but why?"

"He's not really my type and frankly, I'm not his either."

"It was only one date though, how can you be so sure?"

"It was pretty obvious."

"Why not go out on a second one, you never know, sparks might fly then."

 _Oh, there were plenty of sparks. Just not good ones_ , she thought to herself.

"Dad..."

"Just one more date, what harm can come from it?"

 _A lot. For him._

"No. You promised you wouldn't push for a second date as long as I went on the first one."

Akane crossed her arms over her chest and did something she rarely did, glare at her father. Seeing that she was indeed serious, he sighed audibly and nodded his head.

"Of course, you're right. How silly of me."

Soun gave her a reassuring smile and walked out of the room, scheming. He was a man of his word and would not push his youngest daughter into another date with the Saotome boy. But there was more than one way to skin a cat.

The youngest Tendo narrowed her eyes at her father. While she was getting what she wanted she expected more of a fight from him. She was a little suspicious that he acquiesced so easily but there was little she could do about it.

* * *

The next day Akane had spent with her friends near campus. She had spent her two years living in the dorms and had moved back home at the end of her second year. She had enjoyed living away from her family and loved the independence of being on her own. But had decided to return home to be with her father, who seemed to be so lonely rattling around the large grounds by himself.

He was a proud member of the city council, which kept him busy and provided a good venue for him to socialize with men his age. He still taught the occasional classes at the dojo. He provided self-defense classes for the women in the neighborhood twice a week and beginner classes for young children during the day. If there was anything her father adored, it was small children.

He had remained single ever since the death of his wife years ago, despite having several women show interest in him through the years. The most embarrassing for Nabiki and Akane was their new, very young, and very beautiful teacher from their high school, who met him during a parent teacher conference and was instantly smitten. So much so that the normally confident and self-assured woman began acting like a love sick teenager _during_ the meeting. The Tendo daughters had to endure several awkward encounters with the teacher as she made flimsy excuses to come to the family home. Sadly for Ms. Hinako, the Tendo patriarch never picked up on any of her blatant flirting. He commented that it was so nice to see a teacher so devoted to her students.

Her eldest sister, Kasumi had moved to Hokaido to do her residency. Shortly after starting at the local hospital, she started dating one of the doctors on staff. She had gotten engaged to Tofu Ono two months ago. Her father was immensely happy at the news. Happier it seemed than when his eldest daughter had graduated medical school.

Her middle sister, Nabiki had not only moved out of the house but out of Japan right out of high school. She was finishing up her last year at Stanford University, in the United States and had been dating someone from her school for over a year. She had been rather tight lipped with any details about her boyfriend, but that was nothing new for the rather independent girl. She rarely came home, choosing to spend holidays at school with her friends and boyfriend, and being so far away from home, her father could not really interfere in her life.

Therefore the Tendo patriarch focused all his loving, misguided, match matching attentions on his youngest daughter.

Akane smiled when she saw the gates to her family home. Ever since she was little, Sunday night dinners with the family had been a tradition. Now that half the family was gone, one would think that the tradition would fade but it only made her more determined to keep it alive. She never made plans for that night and always made sure she was home to spend time with her father.

"I'm home," the blue haired girl called out when she entered the house.

"I'm in the living room, Akane."

After taking off her shoes, sweater, and purse, Akane headed into the living room where she was surprised to see her father was at the table having tea with visitors. She put a polite smile on her face as she glanced around.

Her eyes fell on a rather large man with wire rim glasses, wearing a bandana and white gi. Next to him was a striking older woman with delicate features, dark auburn hair pulled up into a simple but elegant bun wearing a traditional kimono in blue adorned with white flowers. On the other side of the table was a beautiful young woman with red hair. She had a white Mandarin colored white blouse with some black pants. The girl smiled widely at Akane and had an oddly gleeful look on her face. The blue-haired girl tilted her head to the side and smiled back with enthusiasm, finding herself already liking the younger girl. Next to her was...

"Ranma?" she asked, as her face settled into confusion.

He gave her a sheepish look as he looked down and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Sorry 'bout this."

* * *

 **AN:** I forgot to mention that the chapters in this story will be significantly shorter than in Tomboy No More. Also, I have no idea how often I will be posting new chapters as the drive to write isn't as strong in this story. I really hope you are willing to stick with the story after hearing all that.

In my head Nabiki is having an affair with a married professor, a fact that she is hiding from her family. Since I really don't like her, she will not be making an appearance in this story, so I wanted to share the information here. I hope you like the subtle changes I've made to the Tendo family.


	3. Chapter 3

"I'm home," Ranma called out as he opened the door, laundry bag in hand. He kicked off his shoes before placing them neatly in a cubby, years of childhood training kicking in. He dropped his bag off in the laundry room before heading to the kitchen. He was surprised to see it empty, usually his mother was in there cooking.

He walked through the living room, also finding it empty. He expected to see his father watching TV and drinking sake. He frowned and went to knock on his sister's door and waited for her to answer. Once she hit puberty, Ranma stopped barging into her room for fear of seeing something he shouldn't after once walking in on her just about to change. Luckily for his mental well-being. Ranko opened the door a second later and he blinked at her, surprised at how she was dressed.

His sister was a total tomboy at heart, always wearing jeans and a tee-shirt whenever possible. In her defense they were always nice jeans and fitted tees but nothing like what she was wearing today.

Raising an eyebrow in suspicion, he asked, "You got a date or somethin'?"

"Nope," she said with a smile, mentally adding, _Not me._

"Then what's with the get up? You look like a girl."

She punched him in the shoulder. "I am a girl, dummy."

"Yeah, yeah, but you don't usually look like one."

This earned him an eye-roll and another punch on the shoulder.

"Mom and Dad told me to get dressed and that we were going out to dinner tonight."

"What did Dad do this time?" Ranma asked, knowing that his father didn't like spending money on restaurants. He only took his wife out when he needed to either sweeten her up for something he wanted to do or make up for something he had already done.

Ranko just shrugged her shoulders. "You better go change. Mom wants us to look nice."

"Alright." Ranma smirked and quickly shot out his hand, rubbing it over her head back and forth.

She moved back quickly and swatted his hand away.

"There, now that's more like it," he said, grinning.

"Damn it! You know how long it took me to get it just right?" she complained, finger combing her bangs.

"Oh, don't go sounding so girly!" he said before turning towards his room.

Narrowing her eyes, she took off quickly, leaping onto his back and putting an arm around his neck, and using her other hand to give him a nuggy. Her brother laughed and reached up to tickle her, causing her to squeal and fidget before fighting back.

"Children, what have I said about horsing around in the house?" Nodoka said dryly, as she stood in her bedroom doorway, her hands clasped together, smiling at her kids.

Ranma turned around slowly with Ranko still on his back, her index fingers pulling the sides of his mouth wide apart. Nodoka only shook her head in amusement at the scene before her. Some things never changed and she hoped that this was one of them.

"Sorry, Mom," they said in unison after her daughter jumped off her son's back.

"Ranma, why don't you go get changed?" Nodoka tilted her head sideways and said,"Ranko, why is your hair so messy?"

"Yeah, Sis, you should really fix it; you're a mess."

Said girl, pulled down the bottom lid of one eye and stuck her tongue out at her brother, making the sound "Biii," before heading back to her room.

The Saotome matriarch walked down the hall and decided to ignore that last byplay.

The pig-tailed man walked into his childhood bedroom and flipped on the light switch before walking to the closet and pulling out some nice clothes. Although he lived on his own now, he kept some things there since he never knew what he would need, tonight being the perfect example.

He looked around the room and smiled. His parents had left his room virtually untouched; trophies on the shelf, posters on the wall, and books in the cabinet. It was all thanks to his Mom. If it was up to his Dad, his room would have been changed into a man cave the second he left for college.

After quickly changing, he took the clothes he was previously wearing to the laundry room, where he began to sort his clothing. He could have done laundry at his apartment but he never seemed to have enough quarters. Here he could get a home cooked meal and do his laundry for free!

But he didn't come home just for the perks, he came to see his family. He loved his freedom and independence, and though he would never admit it out loud, he really missed his family now that he wasn't actually living with them. His mother had always been his rock, supporting him in all his endeavors and providing a buffer between him and his father.

He had always adored his sister and probably spoiled her more than his parents when he was younger. They got along amazingly well because she had always been so spunky and never backed down from a challenge. One of the main reasons he liked to come back was to check on her and see how she was doing. He knew that she was popular and guys found her attractive, and although he hated the idea, he knew she dated. So he came home and tried to keep tabs on her and see if she needed him to beat up any guys for her. She could do it herself, but he thought of it as a big brother's prerogative.

He even missed his father. Although they argued all the time, his father had always been one of his biggest supporters. He taught Ranma all he knew about martial arts and even spent time training him in other sports. Often _too_ enthusiastically. His father had really strange ideas about training. He once suggested that Ranma could increase his speed by chasing and trying to catch cats. The pig-tailed boy was then forced to chase around some alley cats, which resulted in several scratches on his body before his mother interfered.

That wasn't even the worst training session. At one point his father thought he needed to increase his strength and devised what he thought was a genius, cost free system. His father wrapped his arms and legs around Ranma while he had to try to force himself out of his father's iron grip all while his father rubbed his stubble against his face. He shivered at the memory.

After starting his first load, Ranma walked into the family room to find the rest of his family waiting for him. His mother was wearing one of her nicer kimonos and his father was dressed as he always was, in a gi. But the pig-tailed man noted this one wasn't frayed or stained. It must be a special occasion.

"So, what's the special occasion?" Ranma asked.

"Nothing special. We are just going to have dinner with some old friends of ours," Nodoka responded with a smile.

"Old friend?" he asked curiously. "Have I met them before?"

"No, I don't believe you've met Soun before," Genma replied. "Now let's go, Tendo will be waiting for us."

Ranma wondered why that surname sounded familiar and shrugged it off, thinking that he must have heard it in one of his father's endless stories about his glory days.

The Saotome family headed towards the subway station, Genma being way too cheap to pay for a taxi. They only went a few stops before getting out in a suburban area of Tokyo. They walked along and Ranma noticed his sister seemed rather chipper. Which was odd since she usually hated this kind of thing where she was forced to be on her best behavior. Or more specifically, forced to act the way their mother thought a female should.

Ranma started to feel slightly uneasy as he realized how strangely his family was acting. But it was too late to say anything as his parents stopped at a stone wall with large wooden gates. On one side of the door there was a sign that read, _To defeat owner in savage combat, use rear door._ He chuckled at the old fashioned marker. It was an odd thing to have at a private home, as that was usually only found in front of old dojos.

One of the large doors opened and they were greeted by a tall man with long black hair and a mustache, his face split into a grin as he looked upon his visitors.

"Saotome!" he bellowed, his arms spread.

"Tendo!" Genma bellowed in return, his arms spread, before the two greeted each other with a man hug; a quick embrace and two quick pats of the shoulder.

The tall man then bowed to the Saotome matriarch. "Nodoka, you look as beautiful as ever," he said in a much more even tone.

She bowed back. "Soun, it's lovely to see you," she replied with slight blush on her cheek at his flattery. She gestured to her children, "This is Ranma and Ranko."

They bowed politely.

"Mr. Tendo, it's nice to meet you," the youngest Saotome said with a smile.

"Mr. Tendo," Ranma said politely.

"It's nice to finally meet you both. Please, please come in."

Ranma blinked when they were let into the grounds. This place was huge! It was rare to find estates this large in Tokyo and he figured the home must have been in the family for generations. He glanced around and saw a koi pond, the house and was that a dojo? On the grounds?! Now the challenge sign in front of the gate made more sense.

Once they entered the house and removed their shoes, they were led to the dining room, where tea was already prepared for their arrival. Soun graciously served everyone then settled down, and for some unknown reason to Ranma, started asking the pig-tailed man questions.

"So Ranma, you're in college?"

"Yes, I graduate in two years."

"You're on track to graduate on time then?"

"Yes."

"Good, good. Now, what do you plan to do after you graduate?"

"Ummm. I'll probably work at a dojo while I save money. I plan to open my own dojo one day."

That seemed to please Mr. Tendo greatly as his face split into a wide grin and he exclaimed, "Wonderful, wonderful!"

Confused, the pig-tailed man watched Soun and Genma share meaningful looks.

"See, Tendo? Didn't I tell you that it'd be a perfect fit?"

"Yes, you are quite right, Soatome, quite right."

They clapped each other on the back and Ranma saw that his mother also had a smile on her face. He looked towards his sister only to find her trying not to laugh. Feeling like he was missing something important, he was about to ask what they were talking about when he heard the front door open and a voice call out, announcing her arrival. He quickly put two and two together, figuring that he was being set up on another blind date.

He groaned to himself and looked towards the hall connecting the two spaces. His eyes widened in surprise at the person who entered.

Ranma was embarrassed at the situation he found himself in. At this rate she was going to think he was some kind of stalker. He looked quickly towards his sister and she gave him a cheeky smile before they both turned their attention back to the woman that just arrived. She scanned the room with a polite smile until she saw him. The confused look she gave him confirmed his suspicions that she had no knowledge of their parents scheming either. So, when she called his name, he could do nothing but apologize.

"Akane, honey! Welcome home!"

"Hi, Daddy. Umm...what's going on?" she asked with a stiff smile.

"We have guests! Isn't that nice?"

"Yes, I can see that. But you should have told me earlier so I could have come home and made dinner."

Soun laughed awkwardly. "I ran into Saotome while I was out for lunch and after catching up, we decided to have dinner tonight. It was a happy coincidence that neither of us had plans. I'm sorry, I completely forgot to call you. But don't worry, I've already ordered dinner and it should be here shortly. You can c-cook next time."

Soun smiled brightly, hoping she would buy his story. The old friends had planned for this dinner as soon as Akane had told her father she would not be going on a second date with the Saotome boy. The Tendo patriarch had purposefully not told his youngest daughter for fear that she would avoid dinner but mainly because he didn't want her to attempt to prepare dinner. There was no way he would let his little girl cook for any potential suitors for fear they would get food poisoning and run away in fright.

Akane narrowed her eyes slightly at him but kept the smile on her face. There was no way she believed that cockamamie story, however she wasn't about to make a scene in front of guests.

"Akane, this is Genma, Nodoka, Ranko and I believe you know Ranma," Soun said, introducing her to the the Saotome family.

She bowed politely at them all and said, "Hello, it's nice to meet you all. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to change and be right back."

"Please don't feel like you need to change for our benefit," Nodoka said kindly.

"Don't worry, I was going to change once I got home anyways," the blue-haired woman said with a smile before turning around and headed upstairs.

Privately Ranma agreed with his mother, she really didn't need to change. He liked her outfit for it showed off her figure to perfection. She was wearing ankle length distressed skinny jeans that had holes in one knee and small rips along her thighs. She paired it with a simple white tee-shirt that had _Fairy Tail_ printed in block letters on the front along with chibi characters on them wearing beach wear. He guessed this meant that she was into anime, which was surprising to him. She didn't seem like the type. But it wasn't what was on the shirt but what was in them. The shirt was very snug and his opinion from the other night was reaffirmed, the chick had an amazing rack. As she walked away Ranma couldn't help but notice she had a really nice ass, too. He looked away quickly though, not wanting to get caught staring.

To his relief, his parents and the Tendo patriarch seemed to be having a quiet discussion and he was able to turn his attention to his sister.

"You knew about this, didn't you?" he asked accusingly.

"Yup," she replied, popping her 'p'.

"Then why didn't you give me a heads up?" he growled.

"Because then you would've bailed and _I_ would be stuck here all by myself! Besides, you should have seen the look on your face!" she said with a smirk.

"One of these days..."

"Ooohhhh. Big scary Ranma. Now I'm really frightened." She brought her arms together, fists at the bottom of her face as she pretended to shiver out of fear, her eyes mocking him.

"It's not funny! That date did not go well and she's going to think I'm stalking her or something!" he hissed.

Ranko's eyebrows shot up into her bangs, her eyes wide in surprise. "You're telling me, Ranma Saotome actually struck out with a girl? That's a first."

"I didn't strike out," he said defensively before he sighed. "I-it's a long story. I'll tell you about it later. But she does _not_ like me and this is going to be awkward enough but I know that they," he said, gesturing his head at their parents, "are going to do something really embarrassing and make it worse."

The redhead knew that he wasn't one to get agitated easily, so this must really have bothered him. Now feeling a little bit guilty about lying to her brother, she patted him on the shoulder in comfort.

"Don't worry. It'll be fine," she said reassuringly.

While they often teased each other, and were really competitive, they always had each other's backs. So she would help him out now and would only tease him a little bit about it later. Okay, she'd be merciless, but he owed her.

They turned their attention forward to see all three parents looking at them questioningly, which wasn't surprising since they weren't being subtle with their whispering. Ranma cleared his throat and grabbed his teacup, taking a quick sip. Ranko just smiled angelically at everyone, which fooled only Soun; her parents knew better.

Just then Akane walked into the room and took a seat opposite of Soun, with Nodoka on her left and Ranma on her right. He was surprised that she had changed so quickly. All the girls he had ever dated took forever to change their clothes and get ready.

She looked...cute was the only word he could use to describe it. She had put on a white Peter Pan collared blouse tucked into a light pink skirt that stopped mid-thigh. The outfit somehow hid the curvy body he knew she had and made her look so innocent. He was once again surprised that this could be the same girl he saw in that club.

"I'm sorry that took me so long."

"Don't think anything of it. You look beautiful, by the way," Nodoka said.

Akane blushed slightly at the compliment. "Thank you."

"So, Akane, you're in college right?"

"Yes, I'm half way through my second year."

"Are you enjoying your classes?"

"Very much. I'm learning a lot and the subjects are all so fascinating."

"That's wonderful to hear. What are you studying?"

"Business with a minor in drama."

Nodoka raised an eyebrow at this. "That's an interesting combination. What do you plan on doing with those majors? Do you want to be an actress?"

"Oh, no. I don't plan on going into entertainment. Drama is fun and I've always enjoyed acting, dressing up and playing different characters. It also helps me learn voice control and how to get and maintain the attention of groups of people, which is why I am minoring in it."

"Really? Is that important for what you plan on doing when you graduate?"

"Yes, I'm going to reopen the dojo full time, so…"

"You are? You never told me that," Ranma blurted out in surprise.

Akane turned her head to the right. With a wide smile on her face, she said sweetly, "Your stories were just so riveting that I didn't want to interrupt you with such silly," she scrunched up her nose at him, "details." She took a sip of her tea delicately, her face serene.

The pig-tailed man shrank into himself. He felt about two inches tall at that moment. Next to him, Ranko had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. She was surprised that the blue-haired girl had slapped him down so effectively without even raising her voice. She made a mental note to get all the sordid details of their date from Ranma later.

The blue-haired girl turned her attention back to Nodoka and continued her explanation. "I'll need to be comfortable in front of groups so the acting will come in handy and the business degree will help manage run the dojo successfully."

Soun smiled proudly at his daughter.

"So, that means you've been trained in martial arts?" Genma bellowed, finally interested in the conversation. He knew from his conversations with Soun that she was going to reopen the dojo but he didn't have details on her skills as a martial artist.

"Yes. I have some training."

"Some? Akane, sweetie, stop being so modest! Akane here is a second degree black belt," Soun said proudly, puffing out his chest. He never missed an opportunity to brag about his wonderful daughters.

"Oh really, that's pretty impressive, Tendo. Ranko is also a second degree black belt and Ranma is a third degree black belt!" Genma boasted, his competitive nature driving him more than parental pride.

"You must be so proud! Did you know that Akane placed first in in her division all four years of high school?"

"Ranko has also placed first the last two years and is a shoo-in to win again this year. She may even make nationals. Too bad they are in different divisions, they could have competed with each other."

"Yes, that would have been very interesting indeed, Saotome."

"I can also leap buildings in a single bound," the redhead said dryly.

"In heels? Because then I would be impressed," the blue-haired girl said with a straight face.

"So how about it, Akane? After dinner, we take this outside and settle this."

"Two women enter, one woman leaves; Thunderdome style."

"And of course bragging rights goes to the victor's parents."

The pair smiled at each other as their father's laughed at their joke.

Akane tilted her head to the side as she said seriously, "You know, we should totally do it."

Ranko's smile turned to a confused frown. "I was only joking..."

"No, I don't mean we should beat each other senseless. But how about a spar? We do have a dojo conveniently located right outside."

"Well, I'm not really dressed for it."

The youngest Tendo waved that away. "You can borrow something of mine, but only if you want to," she added hastily. Feeling a little embarrassed, she explained, "It's been a really long time since I've had a good spar."

Ranko shrugged. She was always down for a good match. "Fine, but don't expect me to go easy on you."

"You better bring it."

"Oh, it's already been brought!" she said, moving her neck in a circular motion.

The girls glared at each other for a moment before breaking out in giggles. The rest of the table looking on in confusion.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

"That must be the food. I'll get it, Daddy."

Akane put on some slippers and went to the front gate. When she opened it, her eyes widen in surprise at the sure volume of food her father ordered. She was going to have to make multiple trips to get everything back. She signed the credit card receipt and started taking the packages from the delivery man. She was just about to put the first two bags on the ground when suddenly a pair of masculine hands took them from her. She looked over to see Ranma standing next to her.

"I'll take these, and these." He said quietly, grabbing two more bags from the delivery boy.

"Umm…thank you."

Akane took the remaining two bags before she thanked the delivery boy and closed the gate.

Ranma cringed at the awkwardness between them. After the blue-haired woman left, his mother looked at him meaningfully and said, "Why don't you help her with the bags?" He had wanted to help her without his mother's prompting but that gave him the excuse he needed to get up. If he did it on his own, then his parents and Mr. Tendo might get the wrong idea about his intentions.

He cleared his throat loudly as they started back. "I didn't know where we were going for dinner until we got here, and even then, I didn't realize it was your house. Sorry for blindsiding you."

She had figured that much for herself. After their first two meetings she doubted the man would purposefully seek her out.

"It's fine," she said stiffly.

They reached the front door, Ranma stepping ahead of her and opening it for her. He followed her into the kitchen and placed the bags on the counter.

"Why don't you go back inside? I'll get everything ready and bring it out," she said with her back towards him.

"Sure," he said with a shrug. He had tried.

Akane spent the next few minutes plating everything, gathered all the necessary plates and flatware while she made more hot water for the tea. She knew her family didn't trust her in the kitchen but making hot water was one thing she could do confidently. She was just about to start brining things out to the dining room when Nodoka and Ranko came into the kitchen.

"Here, let us help you with those," the Soatome matriarch said. She skillfully grabbed three plates and walked out of the kitchen.

The redhead grabbed the pile of plates and flatware before rolling her eyes and saying, "Mom's really into the traditional housewife thing." She shook her head in exasperation.

The blue-haired woman giggled and grabbed two plates and they left the kitchen together. Once everything was set out, everyone began to eat. It soon became clear why her father had ordered so much food, the Saotome males seemed to eat at least three times the amount she did. Even Ranko seemed to have a healthy appetite too, eating much more than Akane normally did. The blue-haired woman wondered how that was possible with the redhead as petite as she was, but chalked it up to good genetics.

After everyone was done, the three women cleared the table and then Akane brought out a tray of redbean mochi that her father ordered for desert and placed it on the center of the table.

Seeing that his daughter wasn't eating the treats he ordered specifically for her, Soun asked "Akane, why aren't you having any? These are your favorite."

"I'm on a diet, Daddy. I've been told I'm getting a little thick around the waist."

She took a sip of her tea and saw Ranma stiffen next to her. She had a moment of satisfaction before she began to feel guilty. She had been subtly snubbing him all night and while he may have deserved it, it just wasn't in her nature to be mean or spiteful. She rarely held a grudge but something about the pig-tailed man really got to her. His rude behavior didn't give her the right to be rude to guests in her home. She sighed to herself.

The real reason she wasn't having any was because she didn't like redbean mochi, it was Nabiki's favorite desert, not hers. She preferred sakura mocha. Her father seemed to forget such details and she didn't want to embarrass him in front of company.

Maybe she had taken things too far.

* * *

 **A/N:** I know a lot of you don't really like Ranma right now, but please remember that you have only have two glimpses of him, one where he was purposefully trying to be a jerk and the second in a club, where some people go to hook up and objectify each other. This goes for both sexes in my experience. I hope you liked a different glimpse of him.

Also, welcome Ranko! She should be fun to write.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Come on in and have a seat," Akane said as she opened the door to her room.

Ranko followed her in and sat on the chair at the desk by the window.

"I only have one gi but you can use it and I'll use some of my other exercise clothes." Eyeing the younger girl, she added, "I'd offer to lend you a sports bra but I don't think any of mine will fit you."

She reached into her closet and found her neatly fold gi in its usual spot and turned around to see Ranko standing up and cupping her rather large breasts together, balanced on one foot.

"It's too bad I can't give you some of mine!" she said in a sing song voice.

Rolling her eyes and giggling, Akane threw the outfit towards the other girl's face, who caught it deftly and laughed.

"I like mine just fine, thank you very much." Assuming a haughty air, she pretended to toss back her hair and said, "They're real and they're spectacular."

She reached into her closet and this time pulled out a pair of black yoga pants and a strappy yoga top and put the items on the bed before she began to change.

Across the room, Ranko was in the middle of changing and eyed her new friend. It had been surprising for her to find out that she genuinely liked the Tendo girl. Usually when her parents dragged her to dinners like this, she dreaded it. Her parents' friends often had daughters that were often prim, proper, docile women, which meant boring. Or they were vain, shallow, completely superficial, and dumb as rocks. But this girl was different. She was beautiful and smart, proper but still funny, stylish but didn't seem vain.

Not for the first time that night, she wondered what happened between Akane and Ranma on their date.

"You ready?" the youngest Tendo asked as she straightened her top. She glanced over to Ranko and did a double take. The redhead had already donned her gi and had pulled her hair into a low braid.

"I hope you don't mind, I borrowed one of your hair ties, I can't fight with my hair down." Looking up, she saw the other girl staring at her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" she exclaimed quickly, embarrassed at being caught staring. "It's just you look so much like Ranma with your hair tied back like that."

Ranko rolled her eyes. "That's not the first time I've heard that. Luckily, we both get our looks from Mom. Can you imagine me with glasses or a bald spot?" She made a face at the thought. "Ready?"

"Yup! Let's go beat each other senseless."

* * *

 _Don_ _'_ _t stare. Don_ _'_ _t stare. DON_ _'_ _T STARE._

That was what Ranma told himself as he watched the two women. But it wasn't working. As much as he tried he couldn't stop from looking at the short blue-haired girl.

What was it about a woman in yoga pants that was just so damn sexy?

Maybe it was the way her curvy bottom was accentuated by the skin tight clothing. Or the way her breasts were lifted and bounced slightly in the bright blue tank as she walked. He could almost imagine what she would look like naked.

Then she began a series of stretches in the middle of the dojo and he got an even better view of her body. When she bent over, he could see straight down her top and glimpse her ample bosom before he got a glimpse on just how flexible she was.

And what man in their right mind would look away from that?

Oh.

Right.

Him. He needed to look away.

 _Do NOT stare_ , he reminded himself.

* * *

"Girls, are you ready?" Soun asked.

"Yes, Daddy, we're ready."

"Alright. We've agreed I'll be the judge, and you two can fight following tournament rules. How does that sound?"

The two girls stared at each other blandly before Akane turned her gaze back to her father.

"Actually, we aren't going to be doing that, we're just going to spar." She put up her hands to stop her father's protests. "This isn't to prove that one of us is better than the other, it's just for fun. You understand, right Daddy?"

She gave him a winning smile that she knew he couldn't fight and watched him shrug his shoulders in defeat.

"Of-of course, of course," he said before he turned around and went to sit along the wall with his equally disappointed friend.

Ranko and Akane walked to the center of the dojo and bowed to each other. A sparkle came into the redhead's eyes as she cracked her head to the right then left before she rubbed her thumb over her nose and swiveled her shoulders slightly back and forth then dropped into a loose fighting stance with a cocky smirk on her face.

Eyebrow raised at her new friend's antics, Akane began to grin. She was also a big Bruce Lee fan and couldn't be outdone, now could she? She moved her hands in a complicated movement over her head, did a quick set of doubt kicks in the air, before she ended up in a low fighting stance, her left arm stretched out in front of her. Left palm facing upwards, and only flexing her four fingers, gestured for the younger girl to attack, then winked at her.

 _This is gonna be fun_ , Ranko thought now with a full out grin on her face.

Not one to refuse such a fun invitation, she went on attack, quickly executing a testing left jab and right cross. She wasn't disappointed to see Akane dodge both attacks before she leapt back twice from the round house kick that was aimed at her midsection. The blue-haired woman then moved forward throwing a punch that only met with thin air. The redhead had leapt over her, landing behind her opponent and poked her on the back of the head. Confused, Akane turned around to see her friend grinning at her.

"Wow, you're pretty good."

Ranko only grinned at the compliment and shrugged her shoulders. She glanced towards her brother and looked back before adding, "But at least I'm a girl. I hate losing to boys."

"Me too," the blue-haired woman responded, knowing exactly what she meant. "Again?"

Nodding the redhead said, "Let's go."

* * *

Ranma sat on the sidelines next to his mother, watching the match with interest. He knew that Ranko was an excellent martial arts, not as good as him of course, but better than most. So, he was surprised to see Akane do so well against his sister. Usually when he went to her matches they were boring and one sided. While the blue-haired woman was losing, she was still putting up a good fight.

Plus, now that they were fighting, it was okay for him to actually look at the blue-haired woman all he wanted.

She was sweaty, some of her hair plastered to the side of her face. Her cheeks were flushed and pink. Her chest heaving as she panted. A satisfied smirk on her face.

She looked so fucking sexy. He couldn't help but imagine that she would look almost like that in bed, only naked and moaning under his expert touch. He shook his head to rid himself of the image before his sudden desire for her became visible.

What was it about women who could handle themselves? She had expertly chastised him all night without once raising her voice. While he didn't like to be on the receiving end of her ire, he had to admit that she could have made things worse by making a scene. Now he got to see her skills as a martial artist and couldn't help being impressed.

Being raised by a mother who ruled over their home and a sister as spunky as his, he had a great respect for strong women and realized that he was beginning to admire this one.

He winced slightly as he watched her throw Ranko over her shoulder and his sister landed with a thud on the dojo floor. That was going to hurt tomorrow.

* * *

Akane sighed as she slipped into the furo, the warm water soothing her tired muscles almost instantly. Her entire body seemed to scream at her in agony and she was a little ashamed to admit how tired she was after their spar. Always an active person, she still ran every day, participated in some yoga classes on campus, went to the gym for strength training but what with her busy class schedule, studying, and having to commute, she had very little time to practice her martial arts. And even though she was in shape, martial arts worked all her muscles in ways running, yoga, and strength training couldn't. She didn't realize until today how rusty she had become.

It was embarrassing.

She sighed and made a promise to herself to renew her training. She did not want to be defeated like that again.

"You know, you're pretty good."

"Thanks but you clearly beat me."

"Hey, I thought that it was just for fun," Ranko said with an eyebrow raised and a smirk on her face.

Akane just rolled her eyes in response. Despite claiming at the beginning of the match that the spar was just for fun, both girls - and their families - had mentally kept score. It was obvious that Ranko was the superior fighter. The youngest Tendo wondered how she would have fared had she fought the other girl while she was actively training, like in high school.

Well, they'd just have to have another spar when she began training again, the blue-haired woman decided.

"It was, but we both know you won."

Ranko just shrugged her shoulders. She had been happily surprised at her new friend's martial arts skills. When they first started, the slight delay in her reactions made it obvious that she was rusty but she never gave up and had given her a better workout than most of the girls in her division. By the end of the match, Akane was getting her groove back and the redhead got a glimpse of what the Tendo girl's skills would have been at their height.

She eyed the blue-haired girl, trying to gauge her mood. Despite losing, the other girl seemed pretty happy. Ranko hemmed and hawed for a moment, trying to decide what to do. She knew she shouldn't pry and wait to hear the entire story from her brother but she had been eager all night to hear the details and curiosity won out in the end.

"You really don't like my brother, do you?" she asked bluntly, not seeing the need to beat around the bush, something she wasn't very good at in any case.

Akane flinched slightly, surprised by the sudden change of topic and the direct question.

"To be honest, I don't really _know_ your brother. You know we went on a date, right?"

Ranko nodded but kept silent. She did not want to influence the Tendo girl's comments with the little information she knew.

"Well..."

Akane sighed. Not knowing what should she tell her. This was Ranma's sister, and no matter how well they were getting along, she knew from personal experience that blood was thicker than water. No matter how often Nabiki had made her angry and done some truly despicable things, as her sister, Akane could not sit back and let someone bash her. No matter how much she deserved it.

"Let's just say it didn't go well. We didn't get along," she finally said. She decided that short and vague was best.

"Why? What happened?" the redhead asked, not remotely satisfied by the answer.

The blue-haired woman rubbed the back of her neck. What could she say?

"He wasn't interested in me - pretty much from the moment we met - and wasn't very...gentlemanly about expressing those feelings."

That was really surprising for Ranko to hear. She knew her brother was a bit of a player and dated a lot; and all of the women he dated had one thing in common, they were exceedingly attractive. It was very unusual for him to dismiss a woman who looked like Akane so quickly. Also, Ranma knew exactly how to treat a woman well - which explained his success in dating so many of them - and was always polite to them. It was something his mother ingrained in him from a young age.

"That's really strange. Ranma is a lot of things, loud, crass, annoying, has a huge ego, is totally bossy...I can't tell you the amount of times he butts into my life, even though he knows I can take care of myself. I mean, I'm 18, and a double black belt but he treats me like I was still 5 years old! He's almost as bad as my parents! Always grilling any of my dates until they practically wet themselves. Not that I would want to date someone who was such a pansy that they would shy away from me just because he didn't approve but it's the principal of the thing!" she growled out before crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at the wall and muttering to herself.

Akane waited a moment and when it seemed like Ranko wasn't going to continue she asked, "But...?"

"But what?"

"You were making a point before you got distracted."

"I was?"

The blue-haired girl only nodded. Ranko blinked and remembered how her little rant started. She blushed at her slip. She wasn't trying to make things more difficult for her brother but it was so rare to meet someone who didn't think her brother walked on water. Ranma got along with everyone and no one ever understood her complaints about her brother.

Even her friends all had crushes on him. It was embarrassing the way they would flirt with him and throw themselves in his path when they came over to her house. To his credit, he was always polite to them and even though he flirted with anyone in a skirt, he never did with them. She knew it was because of his loyalty to her - not wanting to make her life difficult - that made the normally friendly guy standoffish with them.

She spent her entire life hearing about how perfect her brother was, so she got a little carried away when faced with someone who didn't worship her brother. But that wasn't going to help him at all, which she promised to do.

"Sorry. It's just that, Ranma is always a gentleman to women. My mother taught him that from a young age and would be really upset to hear that he treated you badly."

"Oh, please don't tell her. I don't want to make a big deal about it. It was just one date and I was over it by the next day."

Ranko had no intention of telling her mother but it said a lot about Akane that she was trying to protect her brother, even if she didn't like him.

"Don't worry, I stopped telling on Ranma a long time ago. Mostly," she added with a grin. "So if you were over it, then what was that during dinner?"

"You noticed, huh?"

"Yeah but you were pretty subtle about it; I'm sure none of the parents did."

"Well, he did hurt my feelings so maybe I wasn't totally over it," she admitted. "Then I was a little upset at getting ambushed tonight and I kinda took it out on him. You don't think he's upset, do you?" she asked, feeling guilty.

Ranko waved her question off, saying, "Don't worry about it. He's a big boy, he can take it. Besides, it sounds like he deserved it."

They fell silent for a while before their conversation turned to more mundane matters.

* * *

"Well, that was a lovely evening, I really enjoyed myself."

"I agree, it was nice catching up with Tendo again."

"Plus we got to meet his lovely daughter. She's very polite, not to mention beautiful. Right, Ranma?"

Said man shrugged. "Yes, Mom she is very pretty."

"So, will you be seeing her again?" Nodoka asked hopefully.

"I don't usually date tomboys, Ma," he answered evasively.

"What's wrong with tomboys?" Ranko asked with a huff. It was one of his favorite nicknames for her.

"Nothin' when they're your sister," he answered ruffling her hair.

She pushed him away and stuck her tongue out at him. When they got home, Ranko fallowed Ranma into his room and, grabbing a basketball from the floor, jumped onto his bed and made herself comfortable, sitting down Indian style.

"You know, I really like Akane."

"Yes, I know. That was obvious."

It surprised him that his sister got along so well with the youngest Tendo. His sister, while good natured, didn't normally get along with people right away, especially other girls. She wasn't one to tolerate females that she considered girly and silly. She had certainly never liked any of the girls he dated.

"But she sure doesn't like you."

"Yes, I know. That was obvious."

"What the hell did you do to her?"

"What, she didn't tell you?"

"What made you think I asked?"

"I know you."

"Fine, I asked but all she said was that your date didn't go well. So spill."

Ranma groaned. He knew his sister wasn't going to let it go. When she got her teeth into something she was like a dog with a bone. He began to tell her about the date, a story that took longer than he thought as she kept asking him questions and to elaborate as he was trying not to go into too much detail.

"You're a moron," she said when he finally finished his tale.

"Thanks."

"I'm serious. She's really nice and smart, unlike those bimbos that you normally date and you had to be a jerk. So that's all, huh?"

Ranko narrowed her eyes at him when he turned away from her, clearly trying to avoid her gaze.

"That's it, right?"

"Not exactly."

"What do you mean, not exactly? What did you do?"

"Nothing!"

"Ranma..." she growled threateningly.

He groaned before he began to tell her about their second encounter. When he finished, his sister just shook her head at him before she pegged him on the head with the basketball. "What the fuck?" he exclaimed as he rubbed his tender forehead.

"Don't whine, you deserve much more than that."

She only received a glare in return.

"So let me get this right, you talked about yourself the entire night, you checked out a group of girls in front of her, you ignored her to play on your phone, you forgot her name when you ran into her again and you called her fat. Twice."

The pig-tailed man flinched and to his sister's satisfaction, had the decency to look abashed.

"Yup. Pretty much."

"I repeat, you're a moron!"

"I know, okay! I was a complete asshole."

"Why? Just tell me why you treated her like that?"

"You know I didn't want to go out on the date in the first place and I...I was afraid she'd turn into another Shampoo!"

"That was your fault too! You should have made things clear to her."

"I did. You know I did! I told her I wasn't interested in a relationship."

"Yeah, but you kept sleeping with her anyways."

He wanted to defend himself but what could he say? That there had been other girls who seemed very happy being in a friends with benefits situation with him after he told him he wasn't interested in a relationship and none of them turned out to be psycho like Shampoo? She was his sister; he could only tell her how so much about his sex life. They were close, but there were some things that he wasn't willing to share with her and this was one of them.

Plus he didn't want her thinking it was okay for her to get into a friends with benefit situation with anyone. He knew it was hypocritical and sexist that it was okay for him but not for her but that was just how he felt.

"I know that was my fault okay. I know," he finally said, conceding the point.

It was the redhead's turn to sigh. She had met Shampoo and didn't like the girl at all.

Since their parents were friends with her great-grandmother, she used that friendship to try to ingratiate herself with the Saotome family, stopping by without notice with flimsy excuses. She tried to win Ranma over by sucking up to their parents, especially Nodoka, acting all prim and proper. She fawned all over the Saotome matriarch and tried to help with the house work as much as possible. She also tried to get in good with Ranko. She tried treating the redhead like a younger sister but ended up treating her like a child instead.

Despite Shampoo's best efforts, Ranko saw through her ploys and thought of her as conceited, condescending, and manipulative. So she couldn't blame her brother of being leery of meeting another girl like that.

"Look, I've already apologized to her but I don't think she accepted it, she ended up laughing it off," he said as he remembered her reaction to his explanation in the club. It still wounded his ego a little. "I don't want it to be weird if we run into each other again and we will since Ryoga is dating her friend...Ucchan? Or Umi? Ukyo? No, I don't think that is it either. Whatever her name is. But I don't really know what else I can do."

"You are definitely going to see her again since I plan on being her friend and hanging out with her. So you better figure it out. G'nite Ranma," she said as she left the room to get ready for bed.

Ranko could have told him that Akane was feeling bad about the whole situation herself and had already gotten over it but she decided not to. Now that she knew the whole story, she thought her brother deserved to be punished for his actions. Even if it the punishment was just a restless night.

* * *

The next morning, the entire Saotome family sat around the dinner table enjoying a rather large breakfast. Dinner having gone much longer than he planned the previous night, combined with his need to finish his laundry, and hopes of one of his mother's home cooked meals to look forward to, Ranma decided to spend the night at his parent's house. He was not disappointed for the Saotome matriarch, being happy to have her son in the house again, if only for one night, had made several of his favorite dishes, a fact that pleased both father and son.

Ranko was also pleased as she liked much of the same food as Ranma and she missed seeing her brother around the house on a daily basis. Plus she hoped that his presence would put his parents in a good mood and soften them up for what she had planned.

"Mom, did you know that Akane is attending Tokyo Metropolitan?"

"No, I didn't. Didn't you apply there for next year?"

"Yes, it's my first choice. She said that she would be willing to give me a tour of the campus if I was interested. Do you think that would be okay?"

"That was very kind of her. Of course it's okay, as long as you're sure you won't be bothering her."

"She offered, Mom, I didn't ask, so it won't be a bother. This is great! So it's okay if I go today, right?"

"Today? But you have school today. I thought you meant that she was going to give you a tour during the weekend."

"No, it won't be the same on the weekend when the campus is empty. This way I can see what the campus is like during the week. She offered to take me to one of her lectures and even take me to one of the cafeterias so I can see what the food is like."

"I don't know. I've already made your bento and everything. Why didn't you ask us last night?"

 _Because I didn't want you to have too much time to think about it or you'd say no,_ Ranko thought to herself. Shrugging, she said, "I was tired when we got home and just forgot."

"Hmmm," Nodoka hummed noncommittally, not really buying the excuse. "Do you have any tests today?"

"No, we just had midterms."

"I don't know. Genma, what do you think?"

Turning to her father, who she knew cared much less about school, she said, "Please, Daddy. I really want to go."

"I don't see a problem with it but I don't want you to go by yourself. Ranma, take your sister."

"What?" came two simultaneous replies.

"Why do I gotta take her? She's just gonna take the train, she'll be fine."

"No, your father is right, it's a new area and she's going to be around a bunch of college boys. I don't want anything to happen to her, either. Ranma, take your sister," Nodoka said.

"You do realize that if she goes to the school next year, she will be surrounded by college boys all the time, right?"

"But that's different, she'll be in college then."

Ranma resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his mother and her brand of logic. "I have a class today, Ma."

"That's okay, you should go to class. I'm sorry, Ranko but maybe some other time."

"No! I want to go today." Turning to her brother, she pleaded, "Please Ranma?"

The pig-tailed man shook his head. He didn't care about skipping class since he could get notes from his friends, he was more worried about running into Akane again after that tense dinner.

Ranko knew why her brother was saying no, and it definitely had nothing to do with his class. She had her heart set on going to see the school today and hanging out with the blue-haired woman again. Now that she got her parents approval, she wasn't going to let Ranma stop her. She had one fail proof trick up her sleeve.

She sighed heavily and dropped her shoulders, casting her eyes down. Her bottom lip protruded a little as she looked up at him. He only shook his head again in answer.

"Fine," she said in a soft dejected voice.

She picked up her chopsticks and pushed her food around her bowl. She put the slightest bit of a quiver into her lower lip and looked up at him from the corner of her eyes, allowing him to see the small pool of tears forming and the devastated expression on her face.

Ranma glared at her resolutely and Ranko put her attention back to her food. A moment later he heard her sniff and saw a tear roll down her cheek. He had been a sucker for her tears when he was five and it seemed he still was. He knew that she only resorted to such tactics when something was really important to her. He threw his head back and cursed the skies, knowing he was defeated.

"Fine, I'll take you!" he exclaimed as he threw his hands up in the air.

Perking up and tears drying instantly, Ranko suddenly beamed at him. "Thanks, Ranma!" she exclaimed before attacking her food with gusto.

The pig-tailed boy only glared at her as he ate his breakfast.

Nodoka smiled gently at the by play, one that she had seen many times during the years. She loved that her children were close and supported each other, even if begrudgingly.

Genma smirked as he ate. He had no doubts that his daughter could handle herself - he trained her himself after all - and only used this as an opportunity to throw Ranma in front of the Tendo girl. The old friends had agreed last night to continue their matchmaking schemes after meeting the other's children. Both impressed by what they saw, Soun hoped to get his youngest settled with a man who could provide and protect his daughter. Genma wanted his line to continue and with strong heirs. With her pedigree and the martial skills she showed last night, he knew that Akane would be perfect for the job.

* * *

 **A/N:** Here is another glimpse into Ranma and his thought process. I'm sure there are people who are going to say that I have some consistency issues with him. Growing up with a mother and sister, I don't see him being as dismissive about women as he was in the manga, I think if anything he will respect them. He is ultimately honest with the women he is with, never tries to trick or hurt them, and actually able to tell them that he isn't interested in a relationship with them, unlike the manga. He is a jock in his early twenties though, so his mind is often in his pants and some of his thoughts are more colorful. That doesn't make him respect the women he is with any less. For girls he only has a sexual relationship with, he thinks of them in only a sexual way because that is the extent of their interaction.

Tokyo Metropolitan is a real college, although it doesn't have drama, that part is fiction. This went longer than I thought, but that often happens with my chapters. I hope you liked it.

Thank you **alwaysZutarian** for being an awesome beta reader!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Akane had just sat down at her first class for the day when she heard her phone ring in her pocket. She pulled it out quickly and put it on silent mode. She saw she received a text from Ranko and smiled as she read it.

 _Got the okay for today. Where and when should I meet you?_

 _10:30 in front of the Admin Building_ , she typed quickly and tucked her phone away.

Her first professor was tyrannical in how he ran his class and she did not want to be the target for his ire. The last person who accidentally left their phone on during class was embarrassed in front of everyone as the professor asked them if they thought their call was more important than his lecture. The student was then called on to answer every question the professor had for the rest of the class.

When her lecture ended she tucked her notepad and pen into her backpack and headed to meet Ranko. It took her a few minutes to get there since the Admin building was on the other side of campus. When she got there, she sat down on one of the benches and took out her phone to check her email, Facebook, and her other various apps. She was surprised and pleased to see a new friend request from the redhead she was waiting for and she didn't hesitate to accept the request.

Finding nothing else interesting on her phone she tucked it away. She had some time left to wait and pulled out her notes from her earlier class. She read through them quickly, highlighting what she thought were the more salient points of the lecture and adding in a few notes that she didn't get to in class as well as some notes to look up additional information that would be helpful for the essay.

"Hi, Akane!"

The blue-haired woman looked up automatically at the sound of her name and saw a smiling redhead dressed in a simple white tank top that showed off her breasts and blue skinny jeans tucked into some short brown boots.

"Hi, Ranko!"

Her smile faltered slightly at the sight of the tall dark haired man dressed similarly in a black muscle tee that really showed off his muscular arms, a pair of dark jeans, and sneakers.

"Oh, Ranma...hi," she added awkwardly.

"Umm...hi," he said with a small wave of his hand, before he stuck both hands in his pockets and stood there uncomfortably.

"What are you doing here?" she blurted out before she could stop herself.

"Mom and Dad wouldn't let me come unless Ranma brought me," Ranko replied as she rolled her eyes. "They were afraid that I was going to get lost or molested should I come unaccompanied by a male relative. I was lucky they didn't insist I bring a personal guard and didn't force me into a chastity belt, too."

"Don't worry though, I don't gotta stick around," the pig-tailed man said, completely ignoring his sister's sarcasm.

"You don't have to go on my account," Akane told him.

"No, it's okay. I'll find something to do and meet you guys later."

"Are you sure that you don't want to hang out with us?"

"Nah, it's cool. I don't..."

"Okay, this is just getting too awkward for me," the redhead said interrupting the pair. "Why don't you two figure this out, while I go get us all some coffee. Akane, you okay with a mocha?" she asked as she began to walk away without waiting for an answer.

"Umm, latte please," the blue-haired woman called out after her. Turning back to Ranma, she gave him a small smile. "Why don't you hang out with us? It'll be...fun."

"No, it's okay. I don't want this to be awkward for you."

Akane closed her eyes and shook her head. This situation was ridiculous and partially her fault. It had gone on long enough and she needed to fix it.

Ranma was surprised when the blue-haired girl bowed lowly to him and said, "I'm sorry, Ranma. I shouldn't have been so rude to you last night, especially since you were a guest in my house. I made you feel uncomfortable and unwelcome. So much so that you're are still feeling awkward around me now. I was wrong, please forgive me." Akane gave him another low bow.

Stunned, Ranma stared at her for a moment before he said, "It's okay. I deserved it." When she looked up he bowed to her. "I'm sorry for the way I acted on our date and for my half ass apology when I ran into you again. I shouldn't have treated you like that, you deserve better."

"I should have accepted your apology when you offered in the first place."

"You know, we could go round and round all day apologizing to each other. How about we just say we were both wrong and accept each other's apologies or we'll be here all day?"

"Since that sounds fair enough, you've got yourself a deal. Now that we've forgiven each other, how about we start over? Friends?" she asked with a tilt of her head, her hand held out.

"Friends," the pig-tailed man said with a smile as he shook her hand, which was surprisingly small. He was glad they were starting over on good terms and ignored the disappointed feeling he had at the word 'friends.'

"Let's go find Ranko before she gets into trouble," he added and the two headed towards the coffee cart. His groaned when they got closer and he saw his sister at the front of the line. "I can't watch this, you go ahead. I'll just wait here."

"What's wrong?" Akane asked in confusion.

"You'll find out."

Shrugging her shoulder, she walked up to her friend and her eyebrow quirked as she came closer.

"Oh, really? I never knew that. You're like sooo smart!" Ranko cooed in a sugary sweet saccharine voice as she twirled her hair around her finger.

The tall, acne prone barista just smiled at her with a blush on his face. "Well, it's a really good school and you'll learn a lot if you come here. You'll like it a lot."

"Well, if everyone is a nice as you, how could I not?" she added with a giggle and clasped her hands together in front of her in a way she knew pressed her breasts together.

The barista blinked at her as he tried unsuccessfully to place the top on her cup, his eyes definitely not on his job. "H-here you go," he said in a surprisingly low voice after he finally managed to tear his eyes away and finish the drinks and placed all three on the counter.

"Thanks! How much do I owe you?" she asked, batting her eyelashes, tilting her head slightly, and smiling widely at him.

"Umm...umm." The barista looked stunned for a moment before he blurted, "It's on the house. Please enjoy them and come back soon!"

Ranko giggled and batted her eye lashes some more. "Gee, thanks!" she said as she grabbed one of the go cups and handed it to Akane. She grabbed the other two cups and gave the barista a flirtatious wink before walking off.

The barista just smiled dumbly at her as he watched her walk away. The guy waiting in the front of the line shook his head, having witnessed their entire exchange, and checked his watch to make sure he wasn't going to be late. He just wanted a simple cup of joe before class, was that too much to ask for?

"What was that about?" the blue-haired woman asked when they were far enough away not to be heard.

The redhead just shrugged as her brother approached and she handed him his drink.

"Sis doesn't like spending her money if she doesn't have to, so she scams guys for free food," Ranma explained having heard the question as he walked up.

"Does that really work?" Akane wondered out loud.

"Not always but you'd be surprised at how often it does," the redhead said with a grin, not the least bit embarrassed by her behavior.

Amused, Akane raised an eyebrow as she looked at Ranma. "And you're okay with this?"

"Hell no. Like I wanna watch my baby sister flirting with some guy using that cutesy baby voice and simpering giggle. It's really disturbing. Why do you think I stayed back instead of going there with you?"

"Well, if you don't like it you don't have to drink the coffee." His sister put a hand out and added, "You can just give it to me and I'll throw it away and you can buy your own," the redhead suggested.

"What? And waste food? You know how Mom feels about that," Ranma said before taking a sip of his drink.

Akane just laughed at them both. She wasn't one do something like that on purpose but she had received her fair share of free food and drinks in the past and always appreciated it. So if the redhead wanted to take advantage of her looks, more power to her.

* * *

Normally during her morning break the youngest Tendo would be in the library studying but today she was in the bookstore browsing through the racks of Tokyo Metropolitan logo emblazoned clothing. Akane had already taken the Saotome siblings on a tour of the campus, telling Ranko how each school of study had its own separate sets of buildings. She had given them a tour of the main library and the quad - which had small stands to purchase smoothies, muffins and other food stuffs - before they came in to look around the student store. It was located on a small hill, the entrance was on the main floor which contained university merchandise and a small cafe while textbooks and other school supplies were located in the lower level. Once the girls began to wade through the clothing section of the store, Ranma begged off, saying he had not signed up for a shopping trip with his sister. He knew that although the selection wasn't very large, the girls would probably take awhile. His sister, while not very girly in most ways, loved to shop.

"So what do you think? The blue or the black?" the redhead asked, holding up near identical zippered sweatshirts with the Tokyo Metro logo on the back it.

"Go for the blue, it's a nice pop of color without being too bright and goes well with your complexion."

"Blue it is," she said putting the black one back and placing the blue one on her arm. They got in line and she paid for her purchase before starting towards the small cafe where her brother was waiting for them.

"What do you think of the school so far?"

"I like it. The campus is pretty and the boys are cute," she replied eyeing a couple guys a few feet away from her. "If the food is decent and the dorms are nice, I think I could be happy here."

"We'll check out the main food court after my lecture. For the dorms, you should know that while there are slight differences in the different dorms, all the rooms are the about same size, which you will have to share with a roommate that's assigned to you. They all have the same furniture; a twin bed, a small closet, a desk and chair for each person. If you want a mini-fridge you can buy your own or rent one from campus."

"That's good to know."

"Some of the dorms are co-ed and some aren't, so if you have a preference, you can make the request before school starts. After we have lunch later we'll go by one of them and you can check out the common areas, the bathrooms, and the bedrooms. One of my friends offered to let us in and give us a tour of her dorm. Hers is coed, so don't be shocked if you see a random guy walking around in a towel. "

"Really? That's awesome! I mean, not about the guy in the towel, unless he was really hot but about the tour. Thank you so much for taking the time to show me around and setting all of that up. I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome. It's not a problem, I am really enjoying my..."

The blue-haired woman was unable to finish her sentence as she was suddenly pulled back a few steps and forced to crouch down behind the large display case.

"Wha…?"

"Shhh," Ranko hissed. She peeked around the side of the aisle and grit her teeth. "Crap!"

Akane peeked around the side and only saw a very curvy female with long hair in a tight fitting short blue dress and pumps walking towards the cafe.

"What's going on?" she asked in confusion.

Ranko moved back and stood straight, making sure she was still hidden by the bookcase. Akane followed suit, turning around until they were facing each other.

"You see that girl? That's Ranma's ex."

"Okay, so what's the problem?"

"It'll take too long to explain," she said, waving away the question, she had to work fast as she knew the Chinese girl would find her brother soon. She grabbed the blue-haired girl by the shoulders. "Look, I need you to do me a favor."

* * *

Ranma sat and glared at his phone, barely resisting the urge to throw it on the ground, frustration almost overtaking him. He had been so close too! Why was this so hard? All he needed was another combination and he'd pass the level of Candy Crush he'd been stuck on for almost two weeks now. This wasn't the first time he'd been tempted to delete the app from his phone but ultimately never did. The damn game was too addictive for him to go through with it. He sighed to himself before he started the level one more time.

Despite the frustration with the game, he was in a pretty good mood. He was happy that he had made up with Akane. Now that they were getting along, and he wasn't on the receiving end of her sharp tongue, he was finding it rather fun hanging out with her. She was smart, funny, and surprisingly easy to talk to. She seemed much more down to earth than the girls he usually dated, who tended to be superficial and a bit on the ditzy side.

Not to mention that she was sure easy on the eyes. Today she was wearing a simple yellow button up blouse with short sleeves and white trim, ankle length kakis, and ballet flats. It wasn't an outfit he would normally notice or look twice at but he found himself admiring how unassuming she was. She wasn't trying to look sexy all the time and it was oddly refreshing to see a girl who was so comfortable with her looks.

"Airen!"

Ranma whipped his head up in alarm at the familiar greeting. His eyes widened and he groaned at the sight of the Chinese ex-pat standing in front of him.

"Fuck," he muttered to himself before he stood up and crossed his arms over his chest. "Shampoo."

"It nice seeing you," she said with a wide smile. Her hands clasped behind her back as she pushed her chest forward. She knew he loved her breasts.

"What're ya doing here?" he asked in an irritated tone.

She shrugged her shoulders in what she thought was a cute way. "I just looking around."

"Hello, Shampoo."

Said girl turned around and plastered a fake smile to her face as she recognized the newcomer.

"Hello, Ranko."

"What are you doing here?"

"I just looking around. What are you doing here? Don't you have class today?"

"I'm skipping class today to take a tour of the campus. I'm thinking of coming here for school next year."

"Oh, good for you," she said in a condescending tone. She didn't care about the younger girl at all but knew the siblings were close so she couldn't alienate the redhead. For some reason, try as she may, they simply never got along.

The girls smiled at each other stiffly as an awkward silence surrounded them.

Shampoo was disappointed, she hoped to have more time alone with Ranma before Ranko showed up. It had been so long since she had seen him and she was hoping that they could rekindle their romance. She couldn't explain what it was about the man but as soon as she saw him it was like love at first sight. She knew immediately that she wanted to be with him so she had no issue with sleeping with him right away. She had then tried her best to please him in every way she knew. She cooked for him, tried to get along with his family, and most importantly tried to keep him satisfied in bed by doing whatever he wanted and offering some of her own very creative suggestions.

But for some reason his affection for her never grew and despite her offering herself to him as often as possible, in as many ways as possible, he even seemed to get bored of having sex with her. It was beyond frustrating. What man in his right mind would get bored of her body? Then she had caught him with some skank and he had been angry at _her_ for her reaction! While she could admit she shouldn't have made a copy of his key herself, she reasoned that they were together and he should have offered it to her. She deserved it!

Seeing that he was upset she decided to give him some space but now that it had been awhile, she thought that it would be a good time to remind him of what they had together. She wanted to remind him of all the things she could do for him and to him. She knew exactly what he liked so she put on one of those tight fitting dresses that hugged her body like second skin that she knew he loved and some heels to entice him.

But before she had enough time alone with him, his annoying sister showed up. She was going through all the ideas on how to get rid of the little twit but before she could come up with something, she was distracted.

"Oh, there you are, honey!" The Amazon watched as a petite blue-haired girl came up and kissed _her_ man on the cheek. "I found the book I was telling you about, I think you'll like it," she said looking in his eyes and giving him a small smile.

"Thanks," Ranma said in confusion, not understanding why Akane was suddenly being so affectionate or calling him 'honey'. He looked down and noticed the rather pointed look she gave him and suddenly everything became clear.

Wanting to play his part, and for no other selfish reason at all, he slipped his arm around her trim waist and pulled her to him until her body was flush with his. He had to admit, he liked the way her body felt pressed against his. He was surprised at how well she fit against him. He only smiled wider when she rolled her eyes at his action.

Shampoo watched in envy as Ranma wrapped his arm possessively around the unknown girl's waist and smiled at her. The pair shared a look before the woman stepped back and turned around, looking surprised to see the Amazon standing there.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see you there. Hi, my name's Akane," she said with a wave of her hand.

"How rude of me not to have introduced you. Akane, this is Shampoo. Shampoo, Akane, Ranma's _girlfriend_ ," Ranko said, emphasizing the word and giving the Amazon a smirk.

"His-his g-girlfriend?" Shampoo stuttered in shock. Not only was this girl not his type but the entire time the Amazon had been with Ranma, his family never acknowledged her as his girlfriend.

"Yeah and we all think she's great, especially Mom," Ranko added in an attempt to agitate the other girl. Her mother had been friendly with the Chinese girl because of their family connections but had never really liked the girl. She was able to see past the fake persona she adopted around the family and found her random drop bys to be tedious. But Nodoka had been too happy that Ranma seemed to be dating someone seriously and had tolerated her presence.

"Oh, are you friend of the family or of Ranko's?" Akane asked sweetly.

Akane felt bad for the Chinese girl, she could tell that the expat was upset and was starting to regret her part she was playing in this but she knew that Ranko wouldn't ask her to help had it not been for a good reason. When she saw how stiffly the siblings acted around the girl she had decided to help them out. Which she was regretting.

"No way you're with Airen! You not even cute! He would never date girl with no fashion sense that flat chested when he could have me." She threw her hair back and placed a hand on her hip before jutting it out to emphasize her figure. "I his love."

That got Akane's back up and any sympathy she felt for the girl was gone. "Really? He's never mentioned you before. Not once," she taunted.

Shampoo huffed and grit her teeth at the insult. She wanted nothing more than to strike the short-haired woman but held her temper in check, barely. She looked the blue-haired woman up and down in a condescending way before saying, "You look like frumpy housewife who gave up on life."

"It's better than looking like a Kim Kardashian wanna be with too much make-up and ratted hair."

"You find your clothes at salvation army or from grandma's closet?"

"It's pretty early in the day for you to be working the streets, isn't it?"

"Shut up," Shampoo hissed. "She not really your girlfriend, Ranma," she stated, turning to the lone male in the group.

Ranma had been listening to their argument when he suddenly noticed what the book Akane had handed him was about. He grinned and looked up at the call of his name. He squeezed the blue-haired woman to his side gently and kissed her on the side of her head. He couldn't help but take a sniff of her hair in the process. She smelled fresh and sweet, like strawberries. It was a nice change from the heavily perfumed and overly hair sprayed girls he was used to.

The gesture was so simple yet intimate that it had the Amazon's heart throbbing in pain. He had never showed her such easy affection while they were together. The pain increased as he gave the blue- haired girl a sweet look.

"Yup, my girlfriend. Thanks again for the book 'kane, I think I'll _really_ enjoy it," he said to her before casually showing the book to Shampoo.

Heartache quickly turned to rage as the Amazon grit her teeth and clenched her hands as she read the title. Her whole body shook in fury as she finally understood the blue-haired girl's appeal.

She spoked quickly and viciously in Chinese, issuing a string of curses, or so the trio assumed. "You kinky slut only have him for now. He get bored of you soon and then come back to me!" she screeched before storming off.

Akane blinked at the vitriol and pure hate that had been rolling off the girl. She shook her head before realizing that she was still standing in Ranma's embrace. She stepped hastily away from him embarrassed by how she simply forgot he was holding her and how nice it felt.

She sighed at the entire mess, it was her own fault she had gotten into the situation in the first place.

 _"I need you to do me a favor. Pretend you're Ranma's girlfriend."_

 _"W-what?!"_

 _"She's a stalker and won't leave him alone. She'll try to follow us around all day if we don't get rid of her and this is the only thing that I can think of."_

 _"I don't think it's a good idea, you don't know if it'll even work," she replied doubtfully._

 _"It will," Ranko said confidently. Thinking it was best not to wait for a response, she smiled and added, "Thanks, I owe you one," before she walked away._

 _"Ranko!" she hissed at her friend who didn't even bother to look back. "Damn."_

 _Not knowing what to do, she walked down the aisle and watched them from around the corner. It sounded like neither of the Saotome siblings were happy the purple-haired woman was there. She sighed, deciding to help them out. She walked towards the group and on impulse pulled a random book from the shelves._

Ranko watched the Chinese girl go with a satisfied smirk. "Way to go, Akane. That acting minor is really paying off," the redhead said with a grin. "I'm impressed."

"Thanks! I didn't think it would work, much less so well."

"Yeah, you really pissed her off."

"Right? I wonder why she got so mad all of a sudden."

"Well, it could be because of the book you picked out," Ranma said, speaking up.

Curious, Ranko grabbed the book and her eyes widened before she began to laugh.

"Wow, when you get into a part you really get into it, don't you?"

Confused, Akane grabbed the bright pink book and turned it around, her eyes also widening as she read the title, _The Cosmo Kama Sutra: 99 Mind Blowing Sex Positions._

"I-I picked the book out by accident! I mean I picked it out without looking. I didn't-didn't do it on purpose," she stammered out, her face turning redder and redder.

"It's okay if you're a kinky slut, I don't judge," Ranko said as she grabbed the book back and took a peek inside.

"Yeah, kinky isn't necessarily a bad thing," Ranma said off handedly as he took the book from his sister's hands. He really didn't want her getting any ideas. "How ever you chose it, it helped sell the story. I'm guessing that Ranko asked you to help me out?"

"Umm, yeah," she said awkwardly, now a little unsure about how he was going to take it.

"I really appreciate it. Shampoo...well, let's just say she's having a hard time moving on and hopefully this will help get it through her head that I don't want anything to do with her anymore." He scrunched his eyebrows as he wondered out loud, "But I wonder how she found us here."

Ranko shifted uncomfortably and Ranma narrowed his eyes at her.

"What did you do?"

"Me?"

"Yeah, you."

"Ummm...nothing?"

"Ranko. What did you do?" he said in an authoritative tone that surprised the youngest Tendo.

"Well, do you remember that selfie I took with you this morning in front of the school? I may have posted it on Facebook when I checked in," she said as she shrugged her shoulders.

Ranma sighed. He wasn't even going to ask why she was Facebook friends with Shampoo in the first place but he made a mental note to talk to her later about being more careful on social media.

Turning to the blue-haired girl, he said seriously, "Sorry for dragging you into this. Thank you for your help, I really appreciate it," as he gave her a sincere smile.

"You're welcome," Akane said and blushed a little at how handsome the pig-tailed man looked.

"I should do something to thank you." He raised the book in his hands and moved it left and right in front of her. "How about I buy you this as a gift, since you are so interested in it," he said in a teasing tone as he wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"I told you it was an accident!" she hissed, her face resembling a tomato once more. She plucked the book from his hands and swatted him on the shoulder with it. "I'm...I'm just going to put this back," Akane said and walked hastily away while the Saotome siblings laughed at her.

 _Why the hell do they have this in the student bookstore anyways?!_ she thought in complete mortification.

* * *

 **A/N:** This is dedicated to all my fellow Candy Crush addicts out there! I have no idea how universities work in Japan and used some American universities as inspiration for Tokyo Metropolitan. Ranma goes to a different school, a somewhat less prestigious university than Tokyo can't have a Ranko story without her flirting for food. The Cosmo book is a real one and I had to google it on my phone because I didn't want anyone to see what I was doing.

Sorry if my characterizations of Shampoo offends anyone who likes her but in the manga she was very forward sexually, on the ditzy side, and able to justify any of her actions. So it makes sense that a more modern version of her would focus more on what she can offer sexually in a relationship than anything else and would try to weasel her way into Ranma's life through his family. It should be obvious but I am not a fan of hers.

Thanks to **alwaysZutarian** for all her help!


	6. Chapter 6

It took a while, partly due to and because of the Saotome siblings teasing, but eventually Akane got over her mortification. She wished they would stop teasing her about the book, but she knew they weren't doing it to be mean but because they were comfortable with her, which actually made her feel better.

After the incident with Shampoo, the trio hung out at the cafe until Akane and Ranko needed to go to her lecture. Ranma chose to stay there instead of going to her class, he hated attending his own much less someone else's. After the lecture, which Ranko found interesting albeit boring, they headed back to the cafe to grab Ranma and they all walked to the main food court together.

"If you decide to stay in the dorms next year, the price of housing includes a meal package. Each dormitory has its own cafeteria but you can go to any of the ones on campus, if one is closer to your class. Points are added to your ID card, which you swipe for each meal. The cafeterias are set up buffet style, where you can order whatever you want and eat as much as you want."

"That's good for her," Ranma said, gesturing to his sister, "because she eats like a pig."

"Oh, like _you're_ one to talk," she replied, elbowing him in the stomach. "Both you and dad have been kicked out of buffets."

Akane giggled at that. "Now, if you don't want to eat at the cafeterias, you have the option to eat at the food court here. They have a few fast food chain restaurants as well as a couple of restaurants provided by the school. The meals cost more but you can still pay with your meal points."

"That's pretty cool, my school only allows you to eat at the dorm cafeteria on the meal plan. We have a small food court but we have to pay for it ourselves," Ranma said, impressed with the system they had there.

"So what happens if I run out of points?" Ranko asked.

"Then you can load more money onto your card or pay for food yourself, but I wouldn't worry too much about it. I never ran out of points while I lived on campus. The meal plan was created for students who live on campus full time so it includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the entire week. Since you live nearby you'll probably go home some weekends to eat and out with friends some nights. "

They reached the cafeteria then and Ranma said, "Lunch is on me today."

His parents had specifically asked him to treat Akane to lunch to repay her for her kindness but he would have done it anyway.

"You don't have to do that," the blue-haired girl replied.

"I insist."

"Well, if you insist," she said with a smile.

They walked into the food court and looked around at the different options.

"So what are you in the mood for?" the pigtailed man asked.

"Those burgers look pretty good," Ranko said, eyeing a table near them. "How about you guys?"

"Fried chicken," came two simultaneous responses.

Ranma and Akane looked at each other for a moment before the former spoke. "So how about we go get your burger and then we can go get the fried chicken?"

"That'd be such a waste of time. I'll just meet you after we get our food."

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"

"No, I think I can handle it," she said with an eye roll. "You're worse than Mom! I think I can handle getting food all by myself without being assaulted. But if the tray gets too heavy, I'll be sure to ask some nice strong man to help me. Maybe I should have him help me pay for the food, too. I don't know if my tiny female brain will be able to do all that complicated math," she snarked before walking off.

Ranma raised his eyebrow at that. "I wonder what that's about," he muttered more to himself than anything.

"You really have no idea?" Akane asked skeptically.

"No."

Akane thought for a moment, trying to decide the best way to tell him.

"I haven't known Ranko for long but she's really independent, right?"

Ranma nodded in confirmation.

"Well, you offering to help her with something as simple as getting her lunch probably makes her feel like you're treating her like a child."

"What? That's not what I meant to do."

"I know. But think of it from her point of view, this morning your parents wouldn't let her come unless _you_ accompany her, and with your offer of help, it probably makes her feel like you see her as helpless."

"But I don't. I know she's capable of taking care of herself. It's just that…" he trailed off, not knowing how to explain.

"When you look at her, you can't help but see your baby sister, and not a grown woman. You're protective of her."

"Yes, exactly," he said, glad that she understood.

"It's normal. But from experience, I know how hard it is to be the youngest. Everyone always wanting to treat you like a 'baby' when you're trying to grow up. She's practically an adult and she just needs to feel like your family sees her like one. Especially you."

"Why me?"

"Because she looks up to you and respects you."

"So what do I do?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"That's right, nothing. Just be there for her. Give her space to fail and be there to give her advice when she needs it."

He didn't know if he liked the sound of that. "I don't know if I like the sound of that but I can try."

Akane smiled at him. Family meant a lot to her and it only raised her opinion of him that he was concerned about his relationship with Ranko.

"You're a good brother, not everyone would take an entire day out of their schedule to come here with their sister."

Ranma smiled at her comment, finding himself feeling better about the situation. Maybe because she had such a low opinion of him until now, but her genuine praise of him felt good.

"What can I get you?" the cashier asked when they reached the front of the line.

"The number three, please," Akane said.

"Can you make that two?" Ranma added.

"Sure, what do you want for your sides?"

"Mashed potatoes and corn on the cob," came the simultaneous responses.

"And your drink?"

"Dr. Pepper," they both answered slowly as they eyed each other. Ranma's lips quirked up in a small smile.

"Your total is 1611 yen."

Ranma paid for the food, grabbed the tray, and they went in search of his sister. It didn't take long as her red hair made her easy to spot in a crowd. She was making her way towards them, but he frowned when he noticed that walking next to her was a rather tall preppy looking guy wearing a white collared shirt with a sweater vest, slacks, and dress shoes who happened to be carrying a tray loaded with hamburger, fries, and a drink while his sister wasn't carrying anything. He groaned to himself when he realized that she had decided to make a point and was using that poor schmuck to do it. He was surprised, however, when it was Akane who issued the expletive.

"Shit."

He looked at her oddly as he reached an empty table and put the tray down. "What's going on?"

She only shook her head and said, "You'll see."

Ranko walked up to the table and said "You were right, I did need help. The tray was sooo heavy. Luckily though, I found someone to help me."

She batted her eyelashes at the unknown man as he set her food down, though he didn't notice as his eyes seemed to be locked on Akane.

"It must be fate! My sudden desire to assist this beautiful damsel in distress has led me to my true heart's desire. Beautiful Akane Tendo, how I have missed thee," he said giving her a low bow and then surprising the two Saotomes by reaching out and giving her a kiss on the back of her hand.

"Hello, Tatewaki," the blue-haired woman said tiredly when she got her hand back and resisted the urge to wipe the back of her hand against her pants.

"You know each other?" Ranma asked with a raised eyebrow.

From her response when seeing the kendoist, to the normally friendly woman's perfunctory greeting of him, and the way she held herself, this was obviously not someone she wanted to see. And with the way Kuno had greeted her, it seemed like Akane too had herself a stalker.

"You there!"

"What?" Ranma replied when the other man pointed at his face.

"You are being quite familiar with Akane! Who are you?"

"Tell him, 'Kane," Ranma said, giving her the chance to use their 'relationship' as a way to get rid of the increasingly annoying man.

"Tell him what?" she asked in confusion.

"Who are you, boor? Ah! But it is the custom to give one's own name first! Fine then! Mine I shall give!"

"If you want..."

"My name is Tatewaki Kuno, Kendo National Champion, age 22."

"Uhh..." Ranma said, not knowing what to make of the man's introduction. "I'm Ranma Saotome, Akane's boyfriend." The pigtailed man had decided to take matters into his own hands. He put his arm around the blue-haired girl's waist and pulled her close to him, once again placing a kiss on the side of her head.

"What?!" Kuno shrieked and grasped at his chest. "You scoundrel, hounding Akane, eh? I, Tatewaki Kuno, shall bring you to justice."

"Who's hounding who here?"

"Silence!"

"Ranma _is_ my boyfriend, he's not hounding me," Akane spoke up, putting her hands up and interrupting the pair as she finally understood what the pigtailed man was hinting at. She was grateful for his help and glad he thought of continuing their charade to help her get rid of Kuno.

"No! I will not accept that you are dating such a scoundrel. Nothing you can say will make me believe that. I forbid it!"

"Okay then," Akane said and turned to face Ranma. She looked up at him and noticed his face was full of annoyance. His face softened slightly when he looked down at her questioningly.

"Sorry about this," she said softly so only he could hear.

Before he could ask what she meant, she reached up and clasped his cheeks with both her hands, pulled his face down, and pressed her mouth firmly against his. His eyes widened in surprise but it took him less than a second to register what was happening before he closed his eyes. He knew he was attracted to her but he was surprised at the spark that shot through him. Her lips were so soft and warm against his and he couldn't help but draw her closer.

When she would have pulled away, Akane felt a strong arm wrap around her waist and a hand suddenly pressed to the back of her head as Ranma pulled her to him. His mouth moved against hers softly, un-demandingly but she couldn't help but respond to him. When his tongue ran lazily against her bottom lip, she yielded to him instantly, opening herself to him in invitation. When his wet appendage touched hers, it sent a shiver down her spine and she hummed lowly in her throat. He set a slow and sensual pace, drawing her in until her mind was hazy.

Ranma had only wanted a taste of her - had thought this was probably his only chance to ever kiss her - and was surprised she was receptive to him. Her tongue danced with his slowly, intoxicatingly, and he found himself getting lost in her. The taste of her and the feel of her pressed against him. He wanted to run his hands all over her tiny but curvy body, but settled for running his hand through her soft hair.

He didn't want to stop, his senses were so full of her, but in the back of his mind, he knew he needed to. He pulled away and placed one last soft kiss on her lips, now pink and plump from their activity. He smiled, somewhat smug, at the dazed look on her face.

Akane stood there dazedly and blinked her eyes as she tried to process…anything. She glanced around and noticed vaguely that they had drawn quite a bit of attention to themselves and her face began to heat as she realized that several people were clapping at them. Including one spunky redhead.

Eyebrow raised, Ranko watched her brother and her new friend in interest. She knew that there was some sort of chemistry between them, even when they didn't get along there was a spark when they interacted that was hard to miss. It would be interesting to see how this changed their dynamic.

"Yeah, they're dating and obviously really into each other," she piped in, gesturing to the pair. "Right, Akane?"

"Huh?" She shook her head as she tried to get her brain working, it felt completely fried in the very best way. "Right. Boyfriend," she said, nodding her head as she figured out what was going on. Her mind still didn't seem to want to form actual words.

Kuno finally snapped his mouth closed. How could his sweet Akane kiss that degenerate? How could she allow that other man's lips to touch hers when she had denied him so many times? This cretin was her boyfriend? It was unthinkable.

It made sense, that she had only denied him because she had been bewitched by that foul sorcerer because why else would she have said no to someone as great as Tatewaki Kuno? Deep down she must have been fighting the spell she was under, for she had not mentioned the boyfriend before. She must have secretly wanted him to not lose all hope. So he would leave her to deal with it. For now.

"While my heart tells me this could not be possible, my eyes can see the truth. I must bid farewell to you, my love. If only temporarily," he sighed dramatically his hands over his eyes. In a sudden change of mood, he dropped his hand and smiled brightly at the redhead. "My sweet pigtailed girl, please date with me."

"What?" Ranma growled in anger. Was this douchebag seriously treating his sister like a consolation prize?

Next to him, Ranko touched her hair. _Pigtail? I have my hair down,_ she thought in confusion.

Ignoring Ranma, Kuno said, "You are so very lovely and with that fiery red hair, as beautiful as an autumn sunset. Will you have dinner with me?"

She could only blink at his audacity to hit on her right after declaring himself to her friend. What an asshole. "I can't go."

"Why not?"

 _Because I don't want to,_ she thought. "Because he won't let me," she said instead, gesturing to her brother.

"And what sway does he have over you?"

"He's my brother."

"I see. I too have a younger sister and I only wish that she would acquiesce to my opinions like you do to his."

"Well, he's probably going to say no, right Ranma? _Ranma?_ " she asked again, when she didn't get a response.

He leaned over and whispered in her ear, "So _now_ you want me to act like an over-protective brother?"

"Don't pretend like you aren't dying to come to the rescue. Would you rather I went out with him?" she whispered back.

"It'd teach you a lesson about talking to strange guys."

"Okay then I will go on a date with him. If everything works out, you could be calling him your brother-in-law. Think of all the family dinners you'll have to look forward to then. Look, I'll owe you one, okay?"

Ranma rolled his eyes at her and straightened up.

"She's not allowed to date you," he declared firmly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"And why not?"

"I just don't like you," he bluntly responded.

"Sorry," Ranko said with a shrug, "I have to do whatever he says."

"Can I get that in writing?" Ranma asked just loud enough for her to hear.

"Don't push your luck," she said lowly through unmoving lips, still smiling stiffly.

Tatewaki blinked at the blatant rejection but there was nothing he could say to that. At heart he was traditional and had to respect the decision of her closest male relative.

"Oh curse the fates, to have one man be bound body," he said pointing to Ranko, "and soul," he said pointing to Akane, "to two such lovely women. But I shall not give up! My heart will hold out hope for both of you!" he declared, his arms gesturing widely as he spoke. "Farewell my loves!" He shouted before walking away dramatically.

"Ex-boyfriend of yours?" Ranma asked curiously.

"Bite your tongue," Akane hissed and shuddered at the thought. "My parents set me up with him and since he 'had my father's approval' he thought I was just playing hard to get. He didn't get the hint that I wasn't interested."

"Seems like a day for stalkers. You two don't have any others that we should worry about, right?" the redhead asked them both.

"No." Ranma said and Akane just shook her head.

Ranko smirked though when they both glanced around as if to make sure that there was indeed no one lurking around the corner.

"So, how about we eat? I'm starving," the redhead said with a smile.

"Sure." Ranma was just about to sit down to eat when he realized he didn't have any utensils. "I'll be right back. They forgot to give us sporks."

When he walked away, Ranko turned to Akane with a smirk on her face that the blue-haired girl quickly learned meant trouble.

"First you hand Ranma the Kama Sutra and then you kiss him. If I didn't know any better, I would think you were interested in him. That or you're just a tease."

"I told you that I grabbed that book by accident!"

"And the kiss? That definitely wasn't accidental."

"I-he-...um...I was just trying to make a point."

"Oh, you made one, alright."

"Just...just eat your burger," she said unable to defend herself, her face turning pink in embarrassment.

* * *

"You kissed him? The guy that took you on the worst date you've ever been on?"

"Yes."

"Hnh," Ukyo grunted as she processed the surprising information. Though, she had to admit that she understood the appeal. Ranma was a really good- looking guy. A grin spread over her face as she realized there was one important detail she hadn't gotten from the story. "How was it?"

"Huh?"

"The kiss, was it good?"

"Umm, it was…nice."

"Really? Just nice?"

"Yup."

"Then why is your face so red?"

"Fine, fine! It was the hottest kiss I've ever had, alright? He blew my socks off," Akane exclaimed with a groan as she buried her face into the pillow on her lap.

The childhood friends were in Ukyo's small apartment above the restaurant where she worked part time. It had been a couple of days since the incident and the pair was meeting for their weekly gab session. Since they both went to different schools - Ukyo attended a culinary institute - and their other activities kept them busy, they set aside Wednesday of every week to catch up.

"So, now what?"

"Nuffin," Akane's muffled voice came through the pillow.

Ukyo yanked the pillow away. "Why?"

"We are friends, Ukyo, and just that. Nothing more."

"I repeat, why, Sugar? It sounds like you've two got a lot of chemistry."

"He's made it quite clear how he felt about me on the first date. He's not attracted to me that way. He only did it to help me get rid of Tatewaki, which I appreciate, but that was it."

Akane sighed as she ran a hand down her face. This was her best friend and if she couldn't be honest with her, she couldn't be honest with anyone.

"I don't think he felt the same spark I did. The kiss didn't seem to faze him at all. There I was all flustered, not even able to think straight, and he was just standing there as cool as a cucumber. After we had lunch, we spent the next hour touring the dorms and he acted like kissing girls like _that_ was a normal everyday occurrence for him! What? What's that face for?"

"I don't know if I should tell you."

"Come on."

Ukyo was torn. She had never seen her friend flustered over or attracted to a guy before, and wanted her to pursue it. In her mind, Akane needed some passion in her life. But at the same time, she didn't want to see her friend get hurt. Ultimately, she decided to tell her friend what she'd learned.

"After the incident in the club I talked to Ryoga about Ranma and I got some interesting information. It seems he's not really the settle down type."

"Are you implying he sleeps around a lot?"

". To be honest, I don't know. Ryoga didn't tell me much but I got the impression that he dates a lot but that the relationships never get serious."

"Oh…I see. Okay, then it's a good thing..."

"But at the same time," Ukyo added quickly interrupting her friend when she saw her frown, "Ryoga says he's a really good guy and you said he's really close to his family, so maybe he's not so bad." The chef did not want her friend to give up completely on Ranma, the first man in a long time that sparked her interest.

"It doesn't matter. I just don't think it's a good idea. We're friends and that's it. That's all we're going to be," she said resolutely, ignoring the slightly disappointed feeling in her chest. "Now, onto more important things, how's everything with Ryoga?"

"Good. He's a little awkward at times but he's really sweet. He keeps bringin' me random snacks he thinks I'll like. He has absolutely no sense of direction, so he's always late. The other day he was over here and looking for the bathroom and I swear he walked out the front door by mistake," she said with an affectionate laugh.

Akane smiled and looked around the small one room apartment. There was no way anyone would get lost here and she was sure her friend was embellishing but it was so nice to see her so happy. She hadn't been this excited over a boy since she broke up with her boyfriend Tsubasa, who turned out to be a cross-dresser, which Ukyo didn't have a problem with. He also turned out to be bi-sexual, something the chef could have come to terms with had she not found out by catching him kissing another guy. The whole incident had dealt a serious blow to her self-esteem.

"Have you guys slept together yet?"

"Yeah," she said in a rather dreamy voice.

"And?"

"It was amazing. You should see his body, he's so cut he could be carved out of stone. His abs are insane and he even has an Adonis belt," she gushed, while moving her fingers in the air as if she were touching him.

Grabbing a bowl of popcorn, Akane made herself comfortable. "I want to hear all about it and don't you dare leave out any details."

* * *

Ranma punched, jabbed, and then sent a back kick towards Ryoga, who blocked the moves successfully. Then the fanged man went on attack with a leg sweep and upper cut punch. The pigtailed man avoided both maneuvers by hand springing backwards twice.

The fight was too close for Ranma's taste and he knew he needed something to distract his friend if he wanted to win.

"You know Ukyo's friend, Akane?" he said off handedly while they battled each other.

"Yeah," Ryoga grunted. "The one you bombed with."

The fanged man then aimed a roundhouse kick at his opponent's head, who ducked under it quickly before grabbing the outstretched leg and throwing the fighter over his shoulder and into the ground. Getting up quickly, they faced each other as they readied for their next attacks.

"I kissed her."

"W-what?" Ryoga stuttered in surprise.

Using the momentary confusion to his advantage, the pigtailed man put the heels of his hands together, quickly creating a ki ball of energy, and sent if flying at his opponent, hitting him squarely in the chest. Ranma threw his hands up in the air in celebration of winning the match.

Through clenched teeth, Ryoga growled, "You distracted me on purpose!"

"Yeah but a wins a win, right?" Ranma said with a grin.

The fanged man tossed his PS3 controller on the coffee table and took a swig of his beer. The two were playing the newest Street Fighter game and Ranma, as usual, had picked Ryu as his game character while Ryoga had chosen Ken.

"So did you really kiss her or were you just messing with me?"

"I kissed her," the pigtailed man said as he got up to get two more beers. The two were hanging out in Ranma's one bedroom apartment since Ryoga still lived with his parents. He came back from the small kitchen, handing the beer to his friend and sat down before he began his tale.

"Only you can be such a dick during a date and then still end up kissing the chick," Ryoga said after hearing all the details.

"It's not like that."

"What, was it was bad? Like kissing a dead fish?"

"No, the opposite."

What he would say was that it was explosive. He'd kissed a lot of girls and there hadn't been one that he wanted to get lost in so badly. He would have too, had they not been in a very public area, with his sister around no less. So he had forced himself to pull back when all his instincts told him to press forward.

"Then what's the problem?"

Ranma had thought about the kiss a lot after the incident, and at the time he thought she was flustered by the kiss, but then during lunch and the tour of the dorms she acted like the kiss never happened. She didn't respond to any of his subtle flirting. If she was interested, wouldn't she have tried to flirt back? He finally settled on the idea that her reaction had all been an act to sell the story, she was a drama student after all. He just had no idea of how good an actor she really was.

"She only did it to get rid of the creeper." Not wanting to talk about it anymore, or admit that he was disappointed that he had no chance, he decided to change the topic. "How 'bout you? How're things with you and..." Damn it. He still couldn't remember her name.

"Ukyo? Good," the fanged man said with the goofiest smile on his face.

"So you bang her yet?"

Ryoga would have taken offense had anyone else asked that about the chef in such a manner, but he knew Ranma well enough to know that he didn't mean to be an asshole, he just couldn't keep his foot outta his mouth.

"Yeah, we slept together."

"And?"

"It was good. Really, really good."

Ranma only nodded in response. He was glad to see his friend happy. Ryoga hadn't been the same since he broke up with his high school sweetheart Akari when she moved back to her family farm right after they graduated high school. Ryoga had spent several weeks completely heartbroken, but as much as he loved her, he couldn't give up the chance of going to college to follow her and go to work on her farm with her. The fanged man loved to travel and hoped one day to be a travel writer and couldn't imagine spending the rest of his life tied to the farm.

"Want to play again or are ya sick of losing?" the pigtailed man asked.

"I'm gonna so kick your ass," Ryoga said as he picked up his remote control.

The pair spent the rest of the night gaming as Ranma tried to keep his mind of a certain blue-haired beauty. But try as he might, he could not forget the way her body felt pressed against him or the way her lips tasted on his.

* * *

 **A/N:** I bet you didn't think their first kiss was going to go that way, huh? I just like throwing curve balls at them. I know that PDA in Japan is frowned upon, just work with me here, okay? We'll see how this just being friends thing is going to work out for them.

Kuno is slightly less delusional in this AU but still a misogynist.

Shout out to **smashman42** for predicting two chapters in a row. Dude is inside my head!

As always, thanks to **alwaysZutarian** for her beta reading and support!


	7. Chapter 7

Sunday dinner with her father turned out to be Sunday dinner at the Saotomes. Nodoka had called and asked her father to dinner because she wanted to repay his kindness for having them for dinner the previous week and thank Akane for her help in showing Ranko around Tokyo Metro. As Ranma had already treated her to lunch, she thought the gesture was a little unnecessary, though very sweet. The blue-haired woman got dressed on auto pilot, picking out a simple knee length A-line dress in blue and paired it with black flats and a sweater before heading out with her father.

The train ride was short, which she was thankful for as it didn't give her too much time to ponder the situation. Truth be told she was a little torn about going to dinner. On one hand she was excited about seeing Ranko and hanging out with her. She was still pleasantly surprised at how well they got along, it almost felt they had known each other forever. She had way more in common with the redhead than she had with her own sisters and was beginning to think of her as a little sister.

But on the other hand she was feeling a little conflicted over seeing Ranma. She had been surprised by her response to their kiss and hadn't been able to get him or that kiss out of her mind which flustered her. She had never been in a situation like this before, being attracted to someone who wasn't interested in her. It left her feeling frustrated and unsure of herself, two things she absolutely hated.

She wasn't one to run away from her problems and she certainly wasn't going to hide from a boy, so she would deal with her attraction to him. She just had to behave normally around him and hope that he wouldn't figure it out.

* * *

"Nodoka, this tonkatsu is absolutely delicious," Soun said as he helped himself to another serving.

"Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying it."

"It's an absolute treat. I haven't had a home cooked meal this good since Kasumi left to do her residency," he said rather wistfully.

"Why not? Akane, don't you cook?"

"To be honest…"

"Of course she cooks! She's just…isn't as skilled as her older sister was. That…that was what I meant," Soun said quickly.

He still didn't want Ranma to know how horrible his youngest daughter was in the kitchen. If the young Saotome was anything like his father, he would decide who he married more on cooking ability than looks. He knew that Genma had considered himself lucky to have found a great cook who happened to be beautiful too.

"I'm not a very good cook," Akane said honestly. "I try but I always end up messing up the recipes. Sometimes it feels like I need directions on how to boil water."

The blue-haired girl was not going to mention the time she had forgotten that she set a kettle of water to boil to make tea before going to the living room to continue studying for final exams. She walked into the kitchen for a drink a while later to find she had left the kettle on the stove for hours, the water had all evaporated and the small kettle was ruined.

"If you like, I could teach you? Maybe give you a few lessons?" Nodoka offered with a smile.

"Really?" the blue-haired woman asked excitedly.

"I have faith in you."

"Can you really cure Akane?" Soun asked excitedly.

"Geez, Dad. Bad cooking isn't a disease," Akane said with an eye roll before she added a little more hesitantly, "I wouldn't expect any miracles, though."

"Don't worry. Ma taught this tomboy to cook, so I am sure she will be able to teach you too," Ranma spoke up, gesturing to his sister and speaking around a mouthful of food, which earned him a glare from his mother and sister.

"Mom also taught Ranma here, and you know how thick he is, so I am sure you'll be much easier to handle," Ranko said, reassuring Akane.

"Oh, you both know how to cook?" she asked in surprise. The only time she had seen her father in the kitchen was when he was getting a drink or rummaging through the fridge.

"Yeah, Mom taught me because she thinks a proper bride should be able to cook for her husband," Ranko said sweetly, though the tightness in her eyes told a different story.

"And I learned strictly out of necessity," Ranma added. He wanted to change the topic before his mother responded, knowing that would only lead to a fight between the two headstrong women in his family. "Dad used to take us camping a lot but he couldn't cook. So we survived on burnt rice with boiled cabbage topped with mayo."

"Saotome, how that reminds me of our old training trips with Master Ha…"

"Shhh. Don't say his name!" Genma interrupted as he gestured for his friend to be quiet as his eyes darted around the room for signs of danger.

"Right! Right! Of course." Soun said quickly as he too began to look around frantically, small beads of sweat forming on his brow.

Ranma, Akane, and Ranko looked at their fathers in curiosity. While they often told stories about their training days they never mentioned their "Master" for some odd reason. The mysterious figure was treated with both reverence and horror by the two men. When it looked like they weren't going to elaborate, the pig-tailed man decided to continue his explanation.

"Since Sis was too young to cook, I had to learn. At first all I could do was fry eggs and sausage, but that was still better than the stuff Pop could make. Ma taught me more as I grew older."

"He's actually a pretty good cook," Nodoka said proudly.

Akane smiled at the older woman and asked what she thought was an obvious question.

"Mrs. Saotome, you didn't go camping with them?"

The youngest Tendo was surprised when Ranma, Ranko, and Genma started laughing loudly.

The Saotome matriarch only smiled and said, "I'm not a fan of camping."

"That's the understatement of the year! Mom's idea of roughing it is a picnic where you eat on the ground without place settings," Ranko added, still giggling as the image of her mother wearing jeans, a flannel shirt, while chopping wood flashed in her mind.

The Saotome matriarch just smiled benignly at her family, used to how they teased her about how proper she was all the time.

"Kimiko was much the same way when she was alive," Soun said wistfully. "She hated camping and I could only get Kasumi and Nabiki to go with me once. Akane was the only one to enjoy it but she has always been much more active than her sisters.

"I tried to teach of them the art but I couldn't get either Nabiki or Kasumi interested in it. I insisted they both learn some self-defense to protect themselves, which they agreed to, but that was all. It was always just Akane who had a love for the art. But that wasn't surprising as she would always run when others would walk and always preferred playing outside to being indoors. We had some wonderful times camping, the two of us, even though I never managed to cook anything more than boiled cabbage and rice myself."

Soun had a dazed look on his face for a moment as fond memories passed through his mind before he gave his daughter a fond smile which she returned. It was no secret that she was considered the daddy's girl in the Tendo family. Kasumi was always more like their mother in temperament while Nabiki was always an independent little girl who was fine playing on her own. Akane always had much more in common with her father than either of her sisters and they were always closer to her than he was her two sisters.

Ranma sat and listened to the Tendo patriarch, rather surprised at the new information. While he knew that Akane did martial arts, and it was obvious that she worked out, camping seemed so far from something the prim and proper girl he met at the restaurant, or the sexy vixen he met later that night, would like.

Maybe it shouldn't have been so surprising after all, the more he learned of her the more she defied his expectations. She wasn't like any girl he had met before. The more he knew about her the more he found himself more drawn to her and he wondered what else he would find out about the blue-haired beauty.

* * *

The pig-tailed man stopped by his parents' house on the way home from school later that week. He occasionally stopped by unannounced to pick up something he needed or if he wanted some of his mother's home cooking. Today it was for both; he really didn't feel like cooking and he needed to pick up some clothes he had forgotten when he came over for Sunday night dinner. Opening the door, a sweet, warm scent greeted him and made him smile. That wonderful smell could only mean that his mother was baking and he could look forward to something freshly baked for dessert.

He slipped off his shoes and put his bag down by the door before heading to the kitchen. As he got closer he heard his mother's voice giving instructions before he heard a pair of voices giggling. Curious as to who else was there, he peeked through the open doorway to see who the visitor was. A small smile slowly formed on his lips as he took in the scene before him.

Ranko and Akane where in the kitchen with broad smiles on their faces while they tried to hold in their laughter. In their hands each held a rag and were busy cleaning up what looked like half a bag of flour from the counter tops, cupboards, walls, well pretty much every surface he could see. Behind them Nodoka was plating cookies from a cookie tray sheet cooling on the counter.

"What happened here?" Ranma asked as he leaned against the door jam.

"Hey bro!" Ranko greeted with a wave, her hair lightly covered in a dusting of flour.

"Hi, Ranma," Akane said with a smile as she tucked her hair behind her ear. She too had flour over the top of her head as well as some smudged on her cheek and nose.

"Ranma, what a surprise. What are you doing home?" his mother asked, looking as pristine and put together as she always did.

"I forgot some stuff the other night and came by to pick them up."

"Are you staying for dinner?"

"Only if there's enough food," Ranma replied, knowing full well the size of meals his mother made when they had a guest.

Nodoka smiled at that. "Of course there is. Akane is joining us for dinner. She came over for her first cooking lesson today. She helped prepped all the food and did a wonderful job," the Saotome matriarch added with a proud smile.

Akane beamed at the praise, so grateful for the older woman's patience and kindness.

Ranma walked into the kitchen, stopping in front of the blue-haired girl. He reached out and casually ran his index finger over the bridge of her nose, causing her to look at him curiously before he drew away and held up a flour covered finger in front of her face.

"And this?" he asked.

Akane blinked as she tried to focus on the digit in front of her. When she finally saw what was on his finger, she rubbed her nose a few times with the palm of her hand, trying to rid herself of the flour.

"Well, after we finished dinner, I left to take care of some laundry. Ranko apparently had the idea that they should make desert – unsupervised – and I came in to find cookies baking and the kitchen looking like a flour bomb went off. They were just putting the kitchen back to order, right girls?"

"Yeah, Mom." "Yes, Ma'am." Came two simultaneous responses that caused the girls to look at each other and then look quickly away as they began giggling again.

"What kind of cookies did ya make?" Ranma asked as he walked further into the kitchen and looked at the plate his mother had placed on the counter.

"Animal cookies!" Akane answered excitedly.

"Oh, right." He pointed at one and asked, "Is this an octopus?"

"No, it's a penguin."

"Uh huh…and a crab?" he asked pointing to another cookie.

"It's a lion!"

"I know," Ranma said excitedly as he pointed at a third cookie, "It's a water flea?"

"A rabbit!" She said, her right eye twitching.

Akane looked down at her cookies in a huff. She didn't think they turned out that badly. In fact, she was rather proud of them, they were the best looking cookies she had ever made and he couldn't even identify a single one.

 _I mean, who's ever heard of a water flea animal cookie?_ she thought in frustration.

"Oh yeah, I can see that!" he said with a grin that made her realize that he was just messing with her.

Well, two could play that game. The blue-haired girl narrowed her eyes.

"These are obviously not up to your lofty standards," Akane said haughtily and slipped the plate of off the counter.

"What?" the pig-trailed man said in surprise.

"So you shouldn't try any."

"Hey, I wouldn't go that far."

"Nope, I wouldn't want you to get sick off of them or anything," she said resolutely as she balance the tray on her hip.

"That's not fair, 'kane. Let me try just one," Ranma whined as he tried to reach for a cookie.

The blue-haired woman deftly moved the tray to the other side and out of his reach. Amused, he tried to quickly grab a cookie from the right and then left as she continued to play keep away. Determined to beat him at the game, she put the tray behind her back.

Ranma smirked at the challenge. He moved in, effectively boxing her against the counter. He leaned close as he reached around her with both arms.

Akane gulped when she realized how close he was to her and began to blush. She had not thought that he would get so close to her, close enough that she could smell his cologne. Something musky and…very masculine was all she could think of to describe it. Flustered and only just remembering their game, she instinctively raised the tray above her head to keep it away from his grasp. However, she saw a triumphant smile break out on his face before he deftly grabbed two cookies and stepped away.

"You forgot about my height advantage, 'kane. It must suck to be so short," he teased with a wink before taking a large bite of one of the cookies. He chewed on it and nodded his head slowly as he judged the taste. "Not bad."

"Really?" the blue- haired woman asked excitedly.

Could she have actually made some decent cookies?

She was so happy at the thought that her cookies came out well that she didn't care that she lost their little battle. She quickly grabbed a cookie from the plate and took a testing bite. The cookies had a slightly salty aftertaste, which was weird because she didn't remember adding any salt. They were also a little burnt around the edges. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"They're slightly salty and a little over cooked," she said giving him a disappointed look.

Ranma just shrugged. "Yeah but they're still not bad."

He finished off his second cookie and grabbed a water-flea cookie before leaving the kitchen and heading to his room.

Akane took another bite of her cookie. He was right, they weren't bad just not what she was expecting. And if she were honest with herself, still the best cookies she ever made. The blue-haired woman smiled brightly as she finished off her cookie thinking of Ranma.

She wasn't quite sure if he liked the cookies or if he was just being nice. But he took a third cookie so it was possible he really did like them and wasn't just placating her. She couldn't know for sure but either way, it was nice of him. She turned around to put the tray of cookies back on the counter to see both Saotome women looking at her with wide grins on their faces.

"What?" she asked a little cautiously.

"Oh, nothing dear. Absolutely nothing," Nodoka said sweetly before checking on dinner.

Ranko just snorted and continued to clean the kitchen. Akane brushed it off as she began to help the red-haired girl put the kitchen back to sorts.

* * *

"Hi, Ukyo!" Akane greeted as she met her friend at the train station.

They had decided to hold their weekly gabfest at the Tendo house that week, with their schedules that meant that Ukyo would be arriving at the Nerima station only five minutes after the blue-haired girl. Akane decided to wait for her best-friend so they could walk to her house together.

"Hiya, Sugar!" the chef greeted in return before they both started towards the Tendo compound.

She handed one of the two large bags filled with food from the restaurant she worked at to Akane. She knew if she didn't bring along dinner her friend would learn to cook. Which was something she supported as a chef but didn't want to have to eat the results of.

"So, what's up?" the blue-haired woman asked.

"Nuthin' really. I don't got much time for anything more than work and my classes," the chef said with a shrug.

"Not even Ryoga?" Akane asked, wiggling her eyebrows up and down.

"Well, a girl's gotta make time to exercise, right? And trust me, he gives me quite the workout."

Both girls laughed as they reached the gates of the Tendo property and they both looked at each other questioningly as they heard the sound of hammering.

"I wonder what's going on," the blue-haired girl muttered.

Both girls walked towards the back of the dojo towards where the noise was coming from. They turned around the corner and stopped in their tracks as a very unexpected site greeted them. There, wearing only jeans and some black boots, was a shirtless man building a wooden sparring dummy. His back was towards them as he was using a rubber mallet to pound in one of the top pegs.

The two girls stood in silence and admiration as they watched the man in front of them work.

His jeans were slung low at his hips so Akane could see the top elastic of his underwear. His back muscles flexed with every swing, his back glistening in a sheen of sweat. As he worked, she could see the muscles in his forearms flex, giving her a glimpse of the power he contained in them. It was an odd thing to notice or find sexy but there it was. His powerful back muscles and shoulder blades flexed with each movement and a trail of sweat ran down his back. He bent over to pick up another wooden peg, both women tilted their heads slightly to the right to get a better view of the very firm ass presented to them.

"Wow," Ukyo murmured, finally breaking the silence. "Who's that?" she wondered.

"Ranma," Akane replied automatically, her gaze still glued to the man in front of her.

"How can you tell?"

"Huh?"

"You have something you want to tell me about how you can recognize him from only seeing his naked back?"

"What?" the blue-haired woman asked as she finally tore her gaze away. "No, it's nothing like _that._ It's his hair, he wears it like that all the time."

"Uh huh," the chef said as she went back to staring at the man. "Damn, he's ripped. If I weren't already dating Ryoga…yumm." She hummed lowly in her throat as she trailed off, letting her imagination have a little fun.

"You'd what?" came a masculine voice from behind the pair, causing them both to squeal and spin around.

"R-Ryoga!" Ukyo said in surprise as she put her hand to her rapidly beating heart. "What are you doing here?"

"I was hanging at Ranma's when his dad said he needed help," the fanged man replied. "Since you were busy and I didn't have any other plans, I came along to help out."

"Mr. Saotome is here too?" Akane asked in surprise. She was trying not to openly stare at the newly arrived male, who was also shirtless. The chef definitely wasn't exaggerating when she said Ryoga was cut.

"Yeah, Pop's inside," Ranma answered as he walked over, the girl's squeals of surprise having caught his attention. "He asked me to come help him and when we all got here, your dad explained what he needed. They stayed and helped us for a few minutes before they disappeared inside. We haven't seen them since."

"I saw them when I grabbed the water," the fanged man said as he handed his friend a bottle. "They've been playing shogi the entire time."

Ranma only shook his head in exasperation before taking a swig of water.

"Typical of Dad," the pigtailed man replied with a shake of his head. "It doesn't matter, we're almost done anyways."

"Really? Already? And here we came out to help you," Soun said as he and Genma came towards the group. "Hello, Ukyo, Akane, when did you two get home?"

"A few minutes ago. We heard the noise and came out here first to check things out."

"Isn't it nice that Ranma and his friend came to help me out?"

"Yes, Daddy, it was very nice of them."

"Ukyo, have you been introduced to Ranma and Ryoga?"

"Actually, I have. Ryoga and I are…" the chef trailed off not knowing what to say.

Neither of them were dating anyone else but they haven't had _The Talk_ yet about what that meant. So she didn't know what to refer him as. She certainly wasn't going to label him something he wasn't ready for, she didn't want to scare him off.

"I'm her boyfriend," the fanged man said with a slight blush on his cheeks.

"Right, my boyfriend," Ukyo confirmed with a bright smile.

"Really? That's wonderful. I wholly approve! Such a nice, helpful young man." Soun said excitedly as he clapped the fanged man on the shoulder.

The Tendo patriarch had known Ukyo since she was a child and felt paternally protective of her. The chef smiled even wider at this. She had always respected Soun, and with her father and him being friends, always considered him a beloved uncle, so it pleased her that he would give her new _boyfriend_ his blessing.

"Since you are all on good terms, why don't you four go out to dinner? It's my treat as a thank you. Here I asked you to come help me and you boys end up doing all the work. I'm sorry about that, it's just been so long since Saotome and I have played a game of shoji."

"It's alright, Mr. Tendo, it wasn't a big deal," Ranma said.

"Yeah, it was no trouble," Ryoga added.

"Daddy, Ukyo has already brought us some food from the restaurant she works at," Akane said as lifted one of the to-go bags.

"Well, we wouldn't want those to go to waste. We'll eat them while you guys go out," Genma interrupted, taking the bags. "You boys deserve a reward for working so hard and I can't think of a better one than getting to have dinner with two pretty girls." Looking at his son, he said, "I'll call your mother to let her know we won't be home for dinner. If she asks, I helped the entire time."

Ranma rolled his eyes. "Sure, Pop."

Taking that as consent, the two older men left to let the group figure out the details. Once inside, they patted each other on the back. Things was working out even better than they could have hoped. All they had planned was to throw their children together as much as possible, hoping that they would become attracted to each other. They didn't have a clue that their best friends would start dating each other, thus throwing the two in each other's paths even more. It made sending them out as a group seem only natural and so neither of their children would consider it a double date or blame the fathers for trying to interfere. It looked like the fates themselves were happy with the idea of Ranma and Akane together.

Outside Ryoga asked, "So how about it? You ladies wanna go to dinner with us or you want to do your girls night thing?"

Ukyo had told him of her plans and he knew how much they both looked forward to the evening and didn't want to presume that they wanted to just come along. The two women looked at each other for a second, having a silent conversation before they nodded in unison.

"Sure, we'll join you two for dinner," the chef answered, speaking for the both of them.

"Great. If you can wait about ten minutes we're almost done and then we can head out," Ranma said.

"Take your time and feel free to use the furo to freshen up when you're done. We'll be in my room waiting for you guys."

"Great," Ranma said as he walked away.

Ryoga waited until his friend was back to hammering before he said to his girlfriend, "Don't think I've forgotten the comment you made earlier."

Ukyo looked up at him in wild eyed innocence. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Keep that up and I'll have to punish you later."

The chef eyed her man and hummed lowly in her throat. "Promise?" she asked coquettishly as she batted her eyelashes at him.

The fanged man grinned and leaned over to whisper something in her ear, which caused a grin to spread across the chef's face. Akane was surprised to see her friend blush. Ryoga pulled back and kissed her quickly on the cheek before walking away to join his friend.

The two friends stood side by side as they watched the two men work, both greatly admiring the view.

"Damn if Ranma doesn't give Ryoga a run for his money in the muscle department. It makes sense though, considering they work out together."

Akane could only nod as she took them both in. Physically they were very similar. Both were very fit, with lean builds, muscular without being overly bulky. It looked like they didn't have an ounce of fat between the two of them. Ranma was slightly taller than his friend and his shoulders weren't as broad but that barely registered as Akane stared at him.

What was it about a man that worked with his hands that was just so damn sexy? Maybe it was the thought that he would be good with his hands in a completely different way that got her so hot.

* * *

 **A/N:** As I mentioned in the first chapter, this story is set up like a romantic comedy, so this chapter and the next should be seen as a montage of scenes of the two bonding. It would simply take too long for me to have to set up the two of them getting to know each other better.

Another big thanks to my awesome beta reader, **alwaysZutarian** for her help and in doing it so quickly, too!


	8. Chapter 8

Dinner turned out to be a lot more fun than Akane thought. The four of them seemed to get along really well, the conversation flowed nicely, and no one seemed to take any of the teasing badly. As dinner ended, Ryoga asked the girls if they wanted to extend the evening and do something else. Ukyo excitedly agreed and suggested karaoke, which was something the girls loved to do. Ranma just shrugged his shoulders in acquiescence, more than happy to extend the night as both girls were easy to be around and neither of them were high maintenance. The three then turned their attention to Akane.

She hated being put on the spot, especially when she had to say no. As tempting as the offer was, she needed to go home and start her paper. Finals were approaching and if she didn't get a jump on it now, she was going to be in trouble when she had to also study for exams. She promised the group that after finals were over, they would go out again to celebrate. While they were a little disappointed everyone understood her predicament.

Ranma planned to pick up his dad to make sure he got home okay, as he was sure that the old men had been drinking all night while telling tales, or what they would claim as real stories. Ryoga was taking Ukyo home but the Tendo property was on the way to the train station, so they were all walking together.

Ranma and Akane were walking side by side a little in front of Ryoga and Ukyo, as they were holding hands and making eyes at each other. They were walking in a comfortable silence, enjoying the cool night air when the blue-haired girl noticed Ranma's gaze was fixed across the street. The pig-tailed man stopped suddenly.

"I'll be right back," he said quickly before he hurried across the street.

"What's going on?" Ryoga said when he stopped next to her.

"I don't know," Akane admitted.

The trio watched as Ranma reached the other side of the street and bent down quickly to pick up a white stuffed bunny. He brushed off dirt from the top and side of the toy before he jogged towards an older woman holding the hand of a young girl with a big bow in her curly blond hair. He called out to them as he got closer and they both stopped and turned around. When he reached him, he gave a respectful bow to the older woman before he squatted in front of the little girl and offered her the stuffed bunny. Even from across the street they could hear her squeal "Pyonkichi!" before grabbing the toy and hugging it fiercely.

"I guess he saw that little girl drop her toy and wanted to return it to her," Ukyo said.

"Yeah, that sounds like Ranma. He's always helping people whether he knows them or not and he's a sucker for little kids," Ryoga said off handedly. He'd witnessed his friend's kindness before and a scene like this wasn't new to him.

A smile curved over Akane's face as she watched the scene. The little girl seemed to have become suddenly shy and buried her face into her toy in an attempt to hide behind it, only peaking at Ranma over the head of the animal, which seemed to make Ranma laugh. He said something to make her giggle as she twisted left and right, making the bottom of her little dress twirl prettily around her little legs.

It was an adorable sight.

Ranma patted the little girl on top of her and stood up. The older woman seemed to be thanking him and he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, waving off her praise before he gave her another respectful bow and returned to the group.

"Sorry about that," he said as he reached them.

"Don't be, that was really sweet," Ukyo said.

Ryoga, a little jealous at the way his girlfriend was looking at Ranma like he was a hero, rolled his eyes. He would have done the same thing had he noticed the little girl dropping the stuffed animal!

The pig-tailed man only shrugged his shoulder before they continued on their way.

Akane couldn't help but take peeks at the pigtailed man during their walk back. She kept replaying the scene of him and the little girl in her mind. It was just such a sweet image but far from anything she would ever have expected from the macho persona she had come to associate with Ranma. He was far more complex than just the jerk she had originally met seemed and it made her wonder what else she would discover about him.

* * *

"We are never ever, ever getting back together," Akane sang.

"You talk to my friends, I talk to your friends, talk to me," Ukyo piped in.

"But we are never ever, ever, ever getting back together!" the two girls said in unison.

Sitting on the couch, Ranma punched Ryoga on the arm.

"This isn't a good sign for you," the pig-tailed man teased his friend.

"Don't hate cuz I got a girl and you don't," the fanged man replied, not bothering to look at him.

Finals were over and the girls had decided to celebrate by taking the boys up on their offer for karaoke. They had brought along their friends Sayuri and Yuka, who seemed to be getting along well with the guys' friends, Hiroshi and Daisuke. The eight of them had rented out a large karaoke room and had been singing for a while. The groups seemed to merge together easily, but Ranma knew it was because his friends – horndogs to the core – were hoping to get lucky. The girls didn't seem to mind as they flirted back all evening, clearly enjoying the attention.

It was amusing watching Akane and Ukyo get slowly buzzed throughout the evening. Both of them had rather good voices, so the addition of alcohol wasn't making the evening painful. In fact, they seemed to sing better as the night went along and they became less reserved with their voices.

A few moments later, the two girls fell into their seats in a fit of giggles.

"I'm having the besssst time!" the blue-haired woman exclaimed with a wide smile, her slightly glazed eyes twinkling.

"I KNOW, it's been sooo long since we've done this! Why has it been this long since we did this?"

"I don't know, but we totally should do it more often!" Akane said excitedly, finding the idea amazing.

"You'd come with us again, right Sugar?" Ukyo said putting a hand high on Ryoga's thigh and gently rubbing it up and down slowly.

"Of course."

Ryoga took her hand and clasped her fingers with his. While he quite liked her attentions, he really wanted to wait until they were alone before she got too frisky. Once she got started it was hard for him to resist her and he didn't feel like putting on a show for his friends. Knowing them, they would only start to criticize his techniques, while yelling out suggestions. He wouldn't put it past them to put up numbers judging his performance. He smiled as she snuggled closer to him.

Sayuri and Yuka started singing next. The pair loved to sing together and had their songs perfectly synchronized with dance movements. Akane let her head fall back against the couch and closed her eyes. The late nights of studying catching up to her suddenly making her really tired.

"I think it's time to go," Ranma said when the song was over, noticing how sleepy the blue-haired girl looked.

"Awww," came two simultaneous responses from Sayuri and Yuka.

"The four of us are going to a bar after this, you guys wanna come?" Sayuri asked while the group was gathering their things.

"We'll probably just head back to my place, I'm getting kinda tired," Ukyo answered before she wrapped her arms around Ryoga's waist and whispered something in his ear, making him turn red.

No one actually believed she was actually tired.

"No, that's okay," Akane murmured, barely stifling a yawn.

"How about you, Ranma?" Sayuri asked with a flirtatious smile.

"Nah, I better head out too," he replied amicably.

Being the fifth wheel didn't sound like much fun to him. While Sayuri had showed some interest in him throughout the night, and he thought she was cute, he had no real interest in her himself. His interest seemed to be solely on a certain blue-haired girl and he had already screwed up enough where she was concerned. He wasn't willing to ruin her good opinion of him just to get his rocks off with her friend, no matter how willing the girl seemed. Besides, Hiroshi seemed to be really interested in Sayuri and he made it a rule never to cock block his friends.

Outside the four headed off towards their afterhours destination, leaving Ranma, Ryoga, Akane, and Ukyo on the sidewalk.

"Come on, Akane, we'll take you back before we go to my house," Ukyo suggested.

"Don't be silly, I'll just take the train back. It's not far," she said with a huge yawn. Her eyes were slightly closed and she smiled lazily, her body swaying a little. Everything was slightly hazy and her body seemed a little slow to react but she didn't care because she felt so good.

"No, I don't want you to fall asleep on the train."

"It's 'kay, I'll be fine," she drawled with a slight slur.

Not trusting the blue-haired woman to travel alone in the condition she was in so late at night, Ranma interrupted the pair.

"How about I hail a cab and take Akane home?"

"No, you don't…"

"That sounds perfect!" Ukyo said, rolling over Akane's objections. "Please make sure she gets home okay." She narrowed her eyes and pointed her finger at him as a thought came to mind. "And no funny stuff!"

Ryoga snorted, "Yeah, no taking advantage of the drunk girl."

"I'm not drunk!" Akane exclaimed indignantly and was ignored by everyone.

"I could say the same thing to you!" Ranma retorted.

"You better not, I'm looking forward to being taken advantage off!" the chef said as she wrapped her arm around her boyfriend's muscular arm then proceeded to rub her breasts against him suggestively.

"And who am I to disappoint her?" Ryoga said with a grin.

Ignoring their antics, Ranma bid them goodbye before he hailed a cab and slipped onto the backseat next to the blue-haired girl for the ride to the Tendo house. Almost as soon as they got in, Akane put her head back and dozed off. When the cab took a turn her body went with it and she fell against Ranma, her head resting on his shoulder. Not wanting her to be jostled, Ranma slowly moved his arm around her shoulders and inched closer to her to make sure she was comfortable. With nothing else to do, he closed his eyes.

While it looked like he was sleeping he was wide awake, too aware of his current position to be able to relax. He took a small sniff of her hair, smelling the same clean scent of her shampoo but this time it was mixed with something else. Her perfume was a warm mix of vanilla and flowers that seemed to make his blood hum. Just then she snuggled closer to him, her hand landing over his stomach where it started slipping down. His eyes shot open and he grabbed her wrist. He paused when he realized how small and delicate it seemed before he moved her hand to settle it safely on her lap. He wasn't some pervert that would get his jollies from an unsuspecting sleeping woman, especially when she was slightly drunk.

When they got to the house, Ranma tried to wake her up by shaking her shoulder but she was fast asleep, only murmuring a little in response to his calls. Finding no other solution, he grabbed her small bag and ruffled through it, feeling oddly guilty as he knew he should never look through a woman's handbag without permission. Luckily, she wasn't one to carry a huge purse and her keys were easy to find.

He paid the cab driver and propped her up against the back of the seat before going around to open her door. He grabbed one hand and slung her arm around his neck. Her body seemed to follow naturally and soon she had her face burrowed into the crook of his neck. He put her other arm around him before putting his arms under her legs. He hoisted her up and headed into the grounds. He prayed that Soun was asleep because he knew how this situation could be misinterpreted.

On the way through the yard, he had to pause as she moved her other arm around him and snuggled closer. She rubbed her face along the crook of his neck and murmured softly as she settled against him. Her hot breath blew lazily against his cool skin, causing him to shiver slightly before she let out a low moan. Ranma closed his eyes for a moment trying to collect himself. He was getting turned on and she wasn't even trying! The girl was going to be the death of him.

He managed to get her into the house and upstairs without further incident and then stopped as he realized he had no idea which room was hers. Luckily for him, there were little wooden ducks hanging on each of the doors with names on them written in English, making it easy to find her room. He placed her gently on the bed and pulled off her shoes before tucking her in.

He smiled when she let out a small snort before rolling over to her side. Looking around her room, he noticed that it was very neat, a feat he was never able to manage in his own room. Knowing from experience that she would likely wake up with a headache, he went quietly to the downstairs bathroom and found two aspirin and then detoured into the kitchen to get a glass of water. He put both on her nightstand with a little note. He stood there for a moment staring at her before he reached out and moved a stray strand of hair off of her face and tucked it behind her ear. She really was so damn cute.

The pigtailed man was just about to close the door when he heard a throat clear behind him, and he spun around in surprise.

"Mr. Tendo!"

"Ranma."

"Di…did I wake you?"

"No, I just came out for a glass of water."

The two stood there for a moment, Soun's eyes boring into the younger man before the Tendo patriarch spoke again.

"And, what were you doing?" Soun asked gruffly, his hard tone conveying that he expected a good answer or there would be dire consequences. .

"Oh, I was just…it wasn't…" Ranma stuttered as he realized how this looked. He took a deep breath. He had no idea why he felt like a teenager getting caught sneaking out of a girl's room. "'Kane fell asleep on the cab ride home and I carried her up," he said in a much calmer voice.

Dark eyebrow quirked, Soun moved past Ranma and opened the door to her room. Looking inside, he saw his daughter lying on her bed fast asleep, fully clothed. His shoulders relaxed a little at the sight. He knew exactly how hard she had pushed herself during finals and was glad she was getting some rest.

 _Well,_ he thought to himself dryly, _it's a relief I won't have to figure out where to hide the boy's body._

"Ah, well," the Tendo patriarch said as he turned his attention back to Ranma, "thank you for taking care of her."

Ranma felt his tensed body immediately relax, relieved to know the older man believed him and that he didn't have an angry father to deal with. He suddenly had a vision of the older man chasing him around while wearing old samurai armor and brandishing a katana. He had always thought of the Tendo patriarch as good natured and kind, so he was little taken aback by the ominous aura that had surrounded then man. But then again, it was reasonable if his precious daughter was involved.

Soun gave the younger man a pat on the shoulder. Although he approved of the boy, no man would ever truly be deserving of his baby girl. A grin appeared on his face as a thought came to mind.

"So, Ranma, you want to run a dojo when you graduate, right?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"Well, how would you like to get some on the job training? There's something I need help with and I think you're the right man for the job."

Intrigued, Ranma nodded and the pair headed down the stairs.

* * *

When Akane woke up the next morning, it took her a moment to figure out where she was. Her head felt a little heavy, her body ached from too much sleep, and she had a serious case of cotton mouth. She blinked when she realized she was in her bed. The last thing she remembered was getting in the cab with Ranma.

She knew she shouldn't have gone out last night with how little sleep she had lately. She must have been more tired than she knew and coupled with the alcohol, it was no surprised she passed out like that. She had no memory of coming into the house.

 _How did she get inside?_

She shook her head, trying to clear out the cobwebs. While she knew she had been buzzed last night, she hadn't been drunk enough to black out. Maybe she fell asleep. But that didn't explain how she got in her bed. Maybe Ranma had helped her in? She tried to remember what happened but her head hurt too much. She was safe and at home so she would just have to think about it later. Wondering what time it was, she glanced over to her nightstand and was surprised to find a glass of water next to two aspirin. She grabbed the post-it note stuck on the glass and read it.

 _Drink me and take these! ~Ranma_

Well that answered her question, he must have carried her in. She smiled and did as the note instructed before snuggling back into her blankets, suddenly feeling much better.

* * *

It was a situation that Ranma seemed to find himself in a lot lately, walking through the gates of the Tendo compound. Somehow within a few weeks, he found himself feeling completely at home there. Maybe it was the way Soun treated him like a son, better than his Pop did sometimes. Or maybe it was just being around a certain blue-haired girl. Her smile, her laugh just had a way of…he really couldn't really explain it. It just made him happy.

She was different from most of the girls he knew, although part of the reason for that was he had almost no female friends. He hung out with mostly guys and the girls he knew were girls he dated or girl's his friends dated, who he never got too friendly with or bothered to get to know. So it was a surprise that he genuinely liked Akane's company. That they had become friends.

Friends.

He frowned. Somehow he had never thought of that as a bad word but lately it felt like it was one. Not for the first time since he met her, he regretted the way he treated her on their blind date. What had seemed like such a great idea at the time was really starting to bite him in the ass.

If he had just acted normally, he wondered what would have happened between them. Could they have been dating now? And _actually_ dating, not just banging each other like most of the other girls he'd been with, which was a surprise to him. He hadn't been interested in a girl for more than anything but just sex in such a long time. But then again, Akane wasn't just another girl. She was different. She was special. He couldn't help but regret his decision.

With those thoughts running through his mind, he headed towards the dojo to meet Soun. The older man had somehow gotten him to agree to go help with the class without actually telling him what he was going to do and without being paid for it. He had successfully avoided answering his questions the other night about the class. Ranma was beginning to think the older man was as sneaky as his father. Which, when you thought about it, made sense since they were old friends after all.

He walked in to the dojo and found Akane there cleaning up some pads and storing them back into a storage closet with sliding shoji doors. She was wearing her gi and currently bent over. He stopped and took a moment to admire the view. Life wasn't worth living if a man couldn't take the time to appreciate at a very nice ass.

"Hey, 'Kane!" Ranma quickly called out as she turned around.

"Hi, Ranma," she replied, unconsciously straightening out her hair and clothes. "What are you doing here?"

"Your dad asked for my help in his next class."

"His next class?" Akane asked, her right eyebrow arching in surprise and a smirk forming on her lips. _This should be interesting,_ she thought.

"Yeah, why?"

"Nothing. It's nice of you to help him like that. By the way, thanks again for the other night."

"It's no big deal. It's not like you're heavy or nothin'."

"Well, I'm not exactly light either."

Ranma shrugged. "No, but that's okay. So what if you're not super skinny?"

"Umm…" Akane really had no response to that comment.

"You work out, which means more muscle, which is denser. Being fit is much better than skinny."

"Oh…well…thanks," she replied, blushing a little at the compliment.

"You're welcome, but like I said, it wasn't a big deal. I'm pretty fit too," he said, flexing his arms to show off his biceps.

"Right," Akane said as she looked away. She had been trying not to stare at Ranma but it was hard when he came in dressed only in black workout pants and a white cotton ribbed tank which should off his wide shoulders and muscular arms. She tried not to blush even more as she recalled the very vivid, very hot dream she had of the pig-tailed man after she saw him all hot and sweaty with his shirt off. They were both in her room and he was hot and all sweaty again, but this time it was from all the naughty things she was doing to him.

Luckily for her, a few women came into the dojo just then followed by the Tendo patriarch. The blue-haired woman walked over to greet the ladies while Soun approached the pig-tailed man.

"Ranma, thank you for helping me today. Why don't you have a seat while I get started with these ladies?"

He lead the women through a session of light stretching before asking the group of neighborhood women to take seats against one wall of the dojo. He walked to the center of the dojo and motioned to the pig-tailed man to join him before addressing the women.

"Ladies, thank you for joining me tonight. We have been working for quite some time on your basic self-defense skills. Today we will be putting all you learned to the test. With us today is Ranma."

He gestured to the younger man, who nodded to the women in greeting.

"He has graciously agreed to play your attacker for the evening. He will put on some protective pads and attack each of you in turn while I watch and judge your reactions. Each of you will get several turns, the last being a surprise attack."

 _What?_ Ranma thought as his eyes widened in horror.

* * *

Akane winced as she watched Ranma get kicked in the crotch for the umpteenth time that night. He was fully padded in that area - along with the rest of his body – but it still had to be uncomfortable.

She now felt a little guilty about not warning him earlier on how he would be helping with the class. Her father was active in the community and insisted on giving self-defense classes for the women in the neighborhood. He only ever needed help at the end of each session when it was time to test his students. Akane would normally come in and help, taking on the role of instructor while Soun himself would play attacker. He always dreaded this part of the lessons but insisted that it was a necessary part in the program that helped keep the women safe. He would never consider having Akane take part as the attacker but it seemed like he had no qualms about asking Ranma to do it.

She sighed as she thought about the pig-tailed man. She genuinely enjoyed his company as he was funny and honest. He cared about and took care of other people without making a big deal out of it. He helped people without making a production out of it, not wanting or needing credit for his good deeds. They had a lot in common and liked a lot of the same things. She adored his mother and got along so well with his sister.

Not to mention how attracted she was to him. It was all she could do sometimes to keep her hormones in check. More than once she had the urge to just have her way with him. But she couldn't as he had made it very clear that he didn't see her that way. It was just her luck that the one guy she actually liked in a long time didn't feel the same way.

Although, there were times that she caught him looking at her in a certain way that made her wonder if the attraction was one-sided. But she usually shrugged the thought away as she attributed to wishful thinking.

This time the blue-haired woman flinched as one very enthusiastic young mother stomped on Ranma's insole, elbowed him in the stomach, and then threw him over her shoulder. He landed on the floor with a thud before getting up again.

 _Well, at least she didn't kick him in…nevermind. There it is,_ she thought with a grimace.

* * *

Ranma lay on the floor, staring blankly at the ceiling. This had officially been the worst hour of his life. Even worse than all those excruciating college entrance exams he had to sit for.

He was a moron for not finding out exactly what he would be required to do to 'help'. He took back all the nice things he had to say about the Tendo patriarch. The man was an evil genius. He'd have to remember to stay on his toes when around the Tendo patriarch.

All he wanted to do now was just stay where he was and curl into a ball, but pride forced him to get up. With a groan, he moved to his feet and prepared himself for another pummeling.

* * *

Okay, so maybe the entire experience wasn't terrible. It was gratifying to know that he had done his part to help these nice women stay safe. Maybe he had been a little too harsh on Soun earlier.

Ranma's change of heart had a lot to do with being surrounded by women who were singing his praises and thanking him for his help. Their gratitude made him feel nice, like he had done a good job. It also didn't hurt that they were all telling him how handsome and strong they thought he was.

* * *

Akane watched as the group of women surrounded Ranma and showered him with thanks all the while apologizing for treating him so badly. It was amusing watching his growing embarrassment because of all the attention from the older women. He politely accepted their praise but kept insisting that his assistance was no big deal.

It was obvious he was becoming a little uncomfortable when the older ladies began asking him if he was single. They all seemed shocked that such 'a nice boy' like him didn't have a girlfriend. It became less amusing for Akane when some of them suggested he date their daughters or grand-daughters. The smile on her face became stiff as she tried to ignore the uneasy feeling in her stomach.

* * *

In between classes, Akane checked her phone and saw that she had four new texts. Opening the app, she checked the one from Ukyo first.

 _Let's go to the beach Friday!_

Then she checked the three texts from Ranko.

 _Beach Friday!_

 _Play hooky!_

 _I'm not taking no for an answer!_

She only had one class on Fridays, a Political Science class to fulfill her lower division requirements. While that sounded fun she was unsure if she should skip a lecture so early in the new quarter. But it was a new quarter so missing one class shouldn't affect her grade that much. Besides Political Science sounded so boring and she was sure she could get notes from some of her classmates. She hemmed and hawed for a moment before deciding to go for it.

 _I'm in,_ she texted back to them both.

* * *

 **A/N:** Shout out to **jdcocoagirl** for being my 100th reviewer! Thanks again to everyone else who has reviewed this story, you really keep me going!

I'll admit this isn't my best chapter as it feels repetitive of the previous chapter, but I wanted to establish that some time has passed since they met and that they have gotten to know each other better. Sorry for the delay, life got busy and then I got sucked into Fullmetal Alchemist. Sometimes I think I watch to much anime and read too much manga. :Starts first episode of One Piece:

As always, **alwaysZutarian** is the bestest lady ever for all her help! I really couldn't do any of my stories without her support and this chapter would have been a lot flatter without her input.


	9. Chapter 9

"Make a right in 100 feet."

"Right, you fucking moron, the GPS said RIGHT. You're turning left!" Ranma screamed.

"What? I am?" Ryoga said in confusion as they went through the intersection.

"Yes, you idiot. Don't you know your left from your right?"

"Of course I do!"

"Just make a damn u-turn at the next street. You can handle that much, can't you?"

Ryoga just glared and gripped the wheel tightly in frustration.

"Why did I think it was a good idea to let you drive, anyways? I must have been insane."

"Because I'm the only one with access to a car!"

"Well you should have let me drive!"

"Why? It's my car you damn ingrate! Next time you can walk!"

"Well, I'd probably get there faster with how often you've taken a wrong turn. Damn it! Get in the left lane, you have to make a u-turn remember?"

"Yeah, yeah!"

"Left, you idiot!" Ranma screamed again with his arms waving in the air as he pointed vigorously.

After Ryoga finally managed to make the u-turn, the pig-tailed man banged his head against the back of his seat.

"Damn, Ukyo, I feel bad for you," Ranma said from the front seat, his voice full of pity.

"Why?" the chef asked from the back row, not knowing why she was being addressed so suddenly.

"Because with his lousy sense of direction, I'm surprised he can find where to stick his dick when…Fuck!" Ranma exclaimed as he was punched in the arm and unable to finish his sentence. That hurt.

"Shut the hell up!" Ryoga bellowed, his face red in embarrassment, his hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, and his shoulders hunched.

In the back, Ukyo, Akane, and Ranko started laughing.

"Oh don't worry, sugar, he knows exactly where to go and what to do in that department," the chef said reassuringly as she leaned forward to run her hand down her boyfriend's arm in comfort.

The fanged man only cleared his throat in response, and if possible, turned redder. Her praise made his ego swell and he loved how affectionate she was, but it always flustered him when she was so demonstrative with her feelings in public. He just never knew how to respond.

The group had met up early in the morning at Ryoga's house. He was able to borrow his parents' car for the day and offered to drive everyone to the beach so they could be more comfortable for the duration of the trip and stop whenever they needed to. The car wasn't very big but it had a trunk for them to store all their various things, instead of lugging them onto a train, and they all had a seat, which wasn't a guarantee when you used the subway. When they were loading the car, Ranma had offered to sit in the back so Ukyo could take the front passenger seat, but she declined as it would be a more comfortable trip for everyone if she sat with the other two girls. Akane had ended up in the middle seat since Ukyo and Ranko had only met for the first time that morning.

Since then the girls were treated to quite the show from the two men in front as they bickered about directions and driving speed; Ryoga driving way too slowly for Ranma's taste. Akane found the entire thing hilarious. The two acted like an old married couple. She couldn't really blame Ranma for getting frustrated though, as Ryoga had taken an inordinate amount of wrong turns for someone using GPS. She, on the other hand, was having fun and in no hurry to get to their destination.

The men grew silent as one tried to get over his embarrassment and the other sulked. The blue-haired woman tried not to laugh out loud at their reactions.

Turning to her right, she asked Ranko, "Are they always like this?"

"Oh, you have no idea." The redhead said with an eye roll. "This is actually reasonable for those two imbeciles."

"Hey!" came two indignant responses from the front.

* * *

By the time they got to the beach, they had only taken about ten other wrong turns which, while annoying to Ranma, didn't add much time to their drive. They ended up finding a spot on the beach and set out their various personal items. Ryoga set out two umbrellas he had packed for everyone's use, along with two wide picnic blankets in lieu of beach towels, and looked around. It was still early and they were one of the few people on the beach and he hoped it stayed that way.

The girls had already stripped down to their bathing suits. He eyed his girlfriend appreciatively as she was standing there in a high-cut blue bikini. The bottoms barely covering her bottom and the sides were nothing more than two small pieces of strings tied together. The top consisted only of two triangle pieces that were connected by two small strings, one wrapping around her torso and then tying at her back, the other wrapped around her neck. She had braided her hair, with the plait lying over one shoulder, so he could see every bare inch of skin.

"So what does everyone want to do first?" he asked the group at large once he drew his gaze away from her. He had already pulled off his t-shirt and was only wearing his brown swim trunks covered with yellow flowers.

"Well, I'm still not fully awake yet, so I could go for an iced coffee," the chef answered with a small yawn.

Over the last couple of years she had become addicted to the glorious feeling of caffeine pumping through her veins and now found it hard to stay alert without a few doses in the morning. While she normally liked her hit piping hot, it was already warm at the beach and something cold sounded like the perfect thing.

"That sounds pretty good, I'll come with you. There's a pretty good coffee shop on the pier," Ranko said, pointing at the long wooden structure a short distance away. She was wearing a teal monokini that left the sides of her stomach bare and had pulled a white terry cloth cover up over it, the tube top style giving peaks of the vibrant color underneath.

"Great, I'll come with you guys," Ryoga said.

"How about you Akane, wanna come with?" the chef asked her best-friend.

"I think I'll stay here and just lay out a little," the blue-haired girl replied as she finished taking off her board shorts. She knelt on her knees and pulled her tote towards her and dug around for her sunblock before folding her top neatly inside. It had been so long since she had gone to the beach that she was looking forward to just laying down with the sun warming her skin.

"How 'bout you Ranma, wanna come?" Ranko asked her brother.

The pig-tailed man started at the sound of his name. He had been quite distracted by the youngest Tendo, who had just unknowingly given him a little show.

She had worn a racerback tank top with the tiny-tiniest board shorts he had ever seen. As soon as they decided on a spot, he had sat down on his chair and looked over to see her pulling at the hem of her shirt. He got a tiny glimpse of the smooth soft skin on her stomach and suddenly couldn't take his eyes off her. In what seemed to him like slow motion, she pulled off her tank to reveal a red bikini top. The bandeau style top twisted in the center and had small straps that wrapped around her neck. The back consisted only of a thin strip of material running around her ribcage. Although the cut was modest, he still got a view of her generous breasts, which bounced slightly as she shook her tank top out. His eyes ran down the length of her to eye the toned flat belly.

He intended to turn away from her but when she unbuttoned the top of her shorts and pulled apart the teeny tiny – did he mention how short her shorts were? – piece of Velcro holding her bottom he was unable to tear his eyes away. He gulped when she began to shimmy her way out of the tight shorts she was wearing. She had to wiggle her hips a couple of times and bend over slightly to pull them off her feet. The bottoms barely covered her butt and the sides were no more than a series of three thin strips of material. Using her index fingers she adjusted the bottoms before she got on her knees and bent over to get her bag.

Lord help him.

He wanted so badly to just reach out and run his hands over her ass but fisted them together instead. He knew he was staring at her but he was trying not to be obvious about it. He knew he should stop but it was really hard when presented with such a voluptuous woman. Speaking of hard…

He had just shifted from sitting Indian style to sitting with his legs bent at an angle in front of him. He rested his arms on his knees - he did not need anyone to notice the bulge in his board shorts – when his sister called his name. He tried to get his blood flowing more north so he could figure out what she was asking. Something about coffee he thought.

"Huh? Umm. I'm just gonna stay here," he said in what he thought was a casual tone.

"Riiigghht," the redhead said, not having missed the way her brother had been staring at her blue-haired friend.

It was obvious that they were attracted to each other and she wished that at least one of them would make a move. She knew her brother better than anyone and thought that being with a girl like Akane – who was more than just a pretty face – would be good for him. Unlike the girls he normally dated - and she used the term loosely- Akane would help him grow up and actually be there to support him, unlike those airheads he normally preferred. And she knew that while he was a player, once he finally settled down, he would be completely committed to the woman he chose. He would do everything in his power to make her happy and keep her that way. She couldn't help but wish it was the blue-haired girl she had grown so fond of.

"Before you go, can you or Ukyo put some sunblock on my back?" Akane asked, holding up her bottle of sunblock.

Ranko was just about to reach for it when the chef interrupted the two other girls.

"Actually, sugar, I'm really jonesing for some caffeine. Why don't you have Ranma help you?" she said, grabbing the tube and throwing it at him.

"Oh yeah sure," he said, clearing his throat.

"Great! Let's go, Ranko," she said, practically dragging the redhead behind her in her haste to leave the pair alone.

The three walked away and Akane rolled onto her stomach. She hesitated a moment, not knowing whether or not to undo her straps. She hated having unnecessary tan lines and always laid out with them off when she could. She'd never had a guy she wasn't dating applying the sunblock for her, she usually had her girlfriend's do that for her.

But she trusted Ranma and knew he wasn't going to try to take advantage of the situation to feel her up. Plus she had been thinking of his hands on her body ever since she saw him shirtless in her backyard. So now she could live out the fantasy.

 _No! Bad Akane!_

That line of thought wasn't going to help her in her current situation. She closed her eyes and decided to go for it. She reached back and slowly undid the back of her top, glad she was facing down so that he couldn't see the blush on her cheeks.

To Ranma's surprise, the blue-haired girl reached behind her and undid the back strap of her swimsuit and let it fall to her sides before reaching behind her neck to do the same. Ranma gulped hard.

The girl that had been staring in his x-rated fantasies was lying there practically naked in front of him. He could see all the creamy skin of her back, not to mention the side swell of her generous breasts visible when put her hands together in front of her and put her head down. His fingers twitched at the thought of touching all the smooth silky skin.

He took a deep breath and squeezed his hands tightly as he tried to get his hormones in check, not realizing he was still holding the sunblock. The top popped off at the sudden pressure and he found his hand covered in the creamy white substance.

* * *

Ranko had barely waited until they were out of earshot before she turned her head to spy on her brother and her friend. She'd never seen him look so flustered over something as simple as putting sunblock on a girl's back. Her eyebrow rose when she saw him slowly, methodically rubbing the sunscreen onto Akane's back, obviously enjoying himself.

She turned around and asked bluntly, "So, Ukyo, you trying to set them up?"

"Umm…" the chef said in response, surprised at the sudden question. "Was I that obvious?"

"Yes, but probably just to me. Those two are so far in denial about their feelings, they can't see what's in front of their faces."

"Huh? What are you two talking about?" Ryoga asked as he strolled between the two women.

"Ranma and Akane," his girlfriend said sweetly as she put her hand in his.

"What about them?" he asked

"Well, they obviously like each other. At least, it's obvious she likes him, but I don't know how he feels about her."

"Oh, he's into her alright," Ranko added, thinking about what she just saw.

The chef, glad to have confirmation on Ranma's feelings, nodded with a smile.

"Haven't you noticed?" she asked the fanged man.

"Of course I did," he said confidently.

He hadn't.

"I'll be right back," the redhead said suddenly as she dashed off, heading towards a booth with a cute display of beach accessories.

Ryoga angled himself so that he could talk to Ukyo face to face and keep Ranko in sight.

"So," the chef continued, "What do you think we should do?"

"Do?"

"Yeah, do. Should we talk to them? Try setting them up on another date?"

The fanged man rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. Talk to Ranma about his feelings? He'd rather have a root canal.

"I dunno," he replied. "I think…I think we should let them figure it out."

"Well, what if they never do?"

"Then we…I…" he trailed off.

Ukyo looked at her boyfriend, confused as to why he was suddenly distracted. She looked over her shoulder to see Ranko talking to two guys in flip flops and swim trunks. An uneasy feeling rose with in her.

"So, are you going to talk to him?" she pressed, stepping into his eye-line and trying to get his attention back on her.

"Hmm…what?" he answered distractedly.

"Ranma, are you going to talk to him?" she asked again.

"Do you think I should go over there and get rid of those guys?" he asked, completely ignoring her question.

"Why? She's a big girl and can take care of herself," the chef asked through gritted teeth.

Ukyo was used to having Ryoga's undivided attention when they were together. He never so much as looked at another girl when they were out, something she truly appreciated. And now he was ignoring her while his entire focus was on the beautiful redhead. Worse, he was trying to get other guys to stop talking to her. She could only think of one reason he would be so interested in the Saotome girl's love life and she didn't like it at all.

"Well, they look like they could be trouble," he said, his eyes never leaving the red-head.

Fed up with being ignored, she asked bluntly, "Are you jealous?"

To her surprise, Ryoga laughed. He was actually _laughing_ at her. Ukyo narrowed her eyes as she seethed. She jerked her hand away from his and started to walk away.

Confused to why she was suddenly leaving, the fanged man reached out for her hand. She jerked away from him.

"Don't touch me," she said coldly.

Her tone finally got through and he shifted his entire attention on her. The blazing look in her eyes had any remaining laughter dying instantly. He gulped and his brain frantically worked to figure out why she was so upset.

Having him only stare at her dumbly only increased her irritation. She turned away from him again, intending to go back to get her things and take the train back home. At the moment, all she wanted was to be as far away from him as possible.

Not wanting to risk her anger by grabbing at her again, he simply called out, "Wait. Please."

"Why? So you can laugh at me some more?"

"What?"

Why did it seem he kept asking that today? He shook his head as he tried to focus.

"I wasn't laughing at you. I was laughing at the idea that I'd be jealous over Ranko. That I'd be interested in her at all."

"Then why were you staring at her like that? Why are you so interested in who she's talking to?"

"Because, she's like my sister! I grew up with the Saotomes. You know Ranma is like a brother to me and Ranko was always there following us around. I've known her since I was like five. There is _nothing_ between us but sibling affection. Dating her would be like…" he struggled to find something completely absurd, "like dating Ranma."

As Ryoga seemed to go pale and gag a little at the idea, Ukyo dropped her hands and relaxed her shoulders as she took a step towards him. She had thought she had gotten over her ex-boyfriend's betrayal but it looked like she still had some trust issues she had to work on.

"So you aren't interested in her?"

"Not even a little bit." He reached out tentatively, and was relieved that she was no longer avoiding his touch. He pulled her in close to him and wrapped his arms around her. "Sorry, I made you think that." He didn't think he did anything wrong but he hated she had felt bad because of him.

"No, I'm sorry for overreacting." She wrapped her arms around his waist in turn and he began to stroke her back in comfort.

He chuckled. "You being jealous is kinda cute, actually."

The chef smiled at him through her lashes and said sweetly, "Just remember you said that the next time I get jealous. And, sugar, don't forget, I'm a chef and know exactly know how to use a knife to chop things up." She gave him a peck on the cheek before she rested her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around his chest.

Ryoga cleared his throat and chuckled awkwardly as he shifted unconsciously as he felt his manhood suddenly seem to shrink back into his body in self-preservation.

* * *

"Nice hat, Ranko. I like the sarong too," Akane said when the trio came back.

The red head was now wearing a new straw fedora style hat with black trim and a new teal and black sarong over her black monokini. She was carrying a small paper bag in one hand that the blue-haired girl assumed held her pervious cover-up. The new look was a lot more stylish, adding a bit of sex appeal and spunk, which she thought fit the red-head perfectly.

"Thanks! I was so sick of this thing," she said, waving the shopping bag around, "and there was this small stall with really cute stuff on display on the way to the coffee shop. Speaking of," she said before handing Akane a plastic go cup. "I got you an iced latte and here's a mocha for you," she added handing a cup to her brother.

"Thank you," the blue-haired girl said sincerely, touched that the redhead remembered her preferred drink.

"Thanks, Sis," Ranma said as he grabbed his and somehow seemed to drink half the cup in one go.

"No prob," she said in response. Pulling off her sarong and tucking it into her bag before securing her new hat over it, she grabbed her boogie board. "I'm going in the water, anyone wanna come?"

"Sure," Ranma said as he quickly got up.

"We'll join you," Ukyo said as Ryoga put out a hand to help her up.

"You guys have fun, I'm just going to hang out here a little bit longer and finish my drink," Akane said easily. She pulled out a book to read as the rest of the group went towards the water.

* * *

When Ranma looked over half an hour later, he noticed that the youngest Tendo had not moved from her spot. He had been hoping she would join them for some time now but the girl had stubbornly remained planted on the towel.

Despite his best intentions, he kept thinking about applying that suntan lotion on her back. When he started he was surprised to find that her skin actually felt smoother than it looked. All he had wanted to do was keep touching her, so he drew the task out and slowly rubbed his hands all over her back. He worried that she might wonder what was taking him so long and if he should go at a normal speed, but he when he started to knead her tight shoulders, she let out these small breathy moans that seemed to shoot straight to his groin and there was no way he was gonna stop until he covered every inch of skin she allowed him to touch. He only adjusted himself slightly so his erection wasn't visible, thankful that his shorts were loose, and continued on.

He was glad he was currently standing waist deep in cold water because even just thinking of it now gave him another hard on. He'd never gotten so stiff so easily over a girl in his life. He was a little embarrassed over it actually and felt like he was turning into a pervert but resigned himself to another fitful night full of hot sweaty dreams of Akane.

He gave himself another moment before he walked out of the ocean, determined to get the blue-haired girl in the water.

* * *

It may have looked like Akane was focused on her book but her attention was firmly on the Saotome male as he approached her. His entire body glistened with salt water as he moved through the sand. He shook his head and beads of water seemed to hover around him as they sparkled in the sun. His shorts - which were a simple black with a white stallion printed on the left leg – hung low on his body, showing off washboard abs and teasing at what lay underneath.

She gulped and wished she hadn't finished her coffee already, so she could have something to cool her down. She hastily turned a page in her book to keep up the illusion she was reading but behind the Aviators she was wearing her eyes were fixated on his body. She rubbed her thighs together slightly as her body reacted to the enticing sight.

She couldn't forget the way his hands felt on her earlier. What started out as a simple rubbing of sunblock turned into a wonderful massage. She had been right, his hands were amazing. He seemed to know just the right amount of pressure he needed to use to turn her body into putty under his hands. She had tried to stop herself from moaning in pleasure by biting her lip but his ministrations had felt so good she couldn't keep it in. She wanted to ask him to do her _entire_ body but knew that was inappropriate since they were _friends._ In a public place no less.

"Hey, 'kane. Aren't you gonna join us?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, not just yet, I've just gotten to a really good part in this book," she replied easily.

"You can read that anytime! We're at the beach, you gotta come into the water."

"I will later."

"Come on, let's go now."

"Later!" she said with a laugh.

"Geez, with the way you're acting I'm gonna think you don't know how to swim. You do know how to swim, don'tcha?" he asked teasingly.

Ranma was trying to rile her into coming out. He meant the comment as a joke but paused when he noticed her smile falter and her hand go to tuck a strand behind her ear. A gesture he knew she only did when she was nervous about something.

"Wait, that's it. You don't know how to swim, do you?" he asked curiously.

"I…I know how to swim," she stuttered.

It was mortifying. A grown woman – who was an athlete and excelled in a variety of sports – who couldn't swim. She hated the fact. It was her own damn fault too. She had nearly drowned when she was a child and had been averse to swimming ever since. Her father had signed her up for numerous swim lessons after but she always found excuses for skipping them before he resigned himself to the fact that she would learn when she was ready. She had since successfully avoided going into the water and had rarely came into a situation where someone guessed the truth and no one had guessed it so quickly. She didn't even know if Ukyo knew the truth.

Ranma looked at the obviously flustered and embarrassed blue-haired girl and softened inside. He hated admitting he couldn't do something and was sure that she was feeling that same way herself. He suddenly felt a little bad for his offhanded joke. He suddenly came up with an idea that would make up for his bad joke and get her into the water.

"How about I teach you?"

"You? You're going to teach me," she asked doubtfully.

"Yeah, why not? I was on the swim team in high school, taught swim lessons to little kids, and was a lifeguard at the local pool for two summers. Heck, I could probably swim all the way to China if I wanted to," he said proudly.

Akane rolled her eyes at the idea but gave his offer some serious thought. She really did want to learn how to swim but she wished they were in a more controlled environment as the ocean still scared her.

"Maybe a little later, okay?" she finally answered evasively.

Ranma scratched the back of his head as he eyed the beach then the girl before him. If she really didn't want to go into the water, then there wasn't much he could do. With a sigh, he gave her a resigned shoulder shrug.

Grateful that he wasn't going to push the issue she smiled at him. Her eyes widened when suddenly he bent down and picked her up, throwing him over his shoulder as he ran towards the ocean.

"Rrraaannnnmmmmaaaa!" she screamed in panic as he reached the water's edge.

She closed her eyes fearfully as he hefted her up once again and tossed her straight into the air, scared that he was throwing her into the water so suddenly. She had a moment of slight relief when she felt a pair of arms catch her and pull her close to his chest before panic hit her again as she felt her body submerged in water. She wrapped her arms around his neck tightly as her eyes finally popped open and realized that Ranma was submerged into the water up to his neck, the tide occasionally splashing his face.

"Please, take me back in!" she pleaded, practically in tears.

"I will after you learn to swim."

"Ranma, please! I don't want to be out here."

"You just gotta trust me, I ain't gonna let anything bad happen to ya," he said, trying to calm her down.

Ranma had no idea she was afraid of the water. He only thought that she was embarrassed by the fact that she couldn't swim and didn't want to be taught in front of her friends. If he had known she was scared, he would never had run with her into the water the way he did. He wondered what happened to make her so afraid.

"What's wrong?" came a curious voice next to her.

Whipping her head to the side, Akane saw a wet redhead looking at her in concern.

"I can't swim and Ranma won't take me back in."

"Bro!" she screamed in admonishment and smacked him on the head. In a calmer voice, she asked, "Why don't you just walk back yourself?"

"We're too far out! What if I slip and get pulled under?"

"Akane, take a deep breath and look at me."

The blue-haired girl took a shuddering breath. Ranko waited until she got the scared girl's attention on her before she stood up to show her that they were only waist deep in the water. Seeing this the youngest Tendo finally let go of the Saotome male and tried pushed him away from her. He let go of her legs, making sure she was steady before he let go. Akane glared at him and punched him on the shoulder.

"Ranma, you jerk!" she screamed before she walked away from him.

The pig-tailed man followed quickly after her, saying, "I'm sorry! I really am!"

They were soon out of earshot and Ranko could only just watch as her brother tried to reason with the girl. She had no idea what he said but he eventually managed to get her into the water of her own free will. The redhead only shook her head in amusement. He really did have a way with women.

* * *

Still a little peeved, Akane asked, "You're not going to let me go right?"

"I promise. I ain't gonna let 'nothing bad happen to you," he repeated and asked, "Trust me, okay?"

The blue-haired girl nodded hesitantly, still not sure as to how he got her to agree to have him teach her to swim.

"Okay, now I want you to try floating on your back."

Using his hands for support, he helped ease her on her back.

"Okay, now try to relax." When her body seemed to stiffen, he added, "Take some deep breaths." When her body finally relaxed she seemed to float for a moment before her body started to sink. Panicking, she trashed her arms for a moment before she stood up.

"See? I can't even float!"

"Well, you just don't got enough fat. You've got too much muscle to float easily. Why don't we try it again but this time we'll work on how to move your arms and legs. Let's get you on your stomach."

Much in the same way he helped her onto her back, he once again used his arms to help her move to her stomach.

"Great, now hold your breath before you stick your face in the water."

"Oh, I'm not supposed to try to breathe underwater? I never knew that," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Ranma only grinned widely. He only liked her more because she never let him get away with anything.

* * *

 _I'm swimming! I'm actually swimming!_ Akane thought to herself in excitement.

* * *

Ranma watched in bemusement as Akane splashed around. It had taken him way longer than he thought, but she was finally able to move around the water unassisted. Though he had to admit that 'swimming' would be a generous description for what she was doing, it was more like a dog paddle. They'd had to have many more lessons before she could really swim, but this was progress.

The blue-haired beauty came out of the water and ran towards him with a blinding smile plastered on her face. It had been frustrating at times but knowing he made her that happy had been worth all the effort. When she reached him, she jumped up and down in front of him in excitement.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she exclaimed.

It took a lot of effort for him to keep his eyes on her face. She then threw her arms around him and hugged him, all the while still jumping up and down, her breasts rubbing against his bare chest.

Yup. Totally worth it.

* * *

 **A/N:** As often happens with my stories, this chapter went a lot longer than I had planned, so it had to be split in two. There was a little bit of everything in this chapter so I hope you enjoyed it. It was one of the funner ones to write.

 **Jeremy Harper -** I hope that's enough fan service for you! ;P

Big thanks to **alwaysZutarian** for all her amazing beta reading skills.


	10. Chapter 10

For lunch, the group decided to walk along the boardwalk and buy food from the various street vendors instead of going to a sit down restaurant. Akane and Ukyo had just gotten some orders of takoyaki and were leaning against the railing of the pier so they watched the ocean. Figuring it was a good time as any, the chef decided to finally ask her best-friend about her obvious feelings for the pig-tailed man.

"So, what's up with you and Ranma?"

Having just taken a bite, Akane almost chocked in surprise at the sudden question. The chef patted her on the back a couple times and she chewed quickly before swallowing her food.

"We're friends."

"Yeah, yeah, but you're into him, right?"

"Umm…"

"Come on, if you can't tell me the truth, then who can you tell?"

"You know it really doesn't matter how I feel," Akane said evasively.

"Of course it matters!"

"Not when he's not attracted to me." She put up a hand to stop her friend from interrupting. "And even if he was, it would be awkward. I really like Ranko, she's my friend and I don't want to make it weird by dating her brother."

"Oh, don't let me stop you," came a familiar voice from behind.

Akane jumped in surprise, sending her takoyaki stick flying in the air. She tried to grab for it, and managed to grab onto the stick briefly before she fumbled and dropped her snack into the water. She pouted and put her hand to her still rapidly beating heart. Where her friends _trying_ to give her a heart attack?

"Ranko! How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough."

"Oh, so you heard…"

"Yup. Look, I appreciate that you're concerned about my feelings but I don't want that to stop you from dating my brother if you like him."

"But wouldn't it be weird for you?"

"No. not really. We haven't known each other that long and since we've met, I've kind of got used to thinking of you as a couple. I think the two of you would be great together. You wouldn't take his crap and would force him to act like a grown up. And he'd…" The redhead trailed off and scratched her head in thought before shrugging her shoulder. "Frankly, I don't really know what you see in him," she said with a grin.

"You're really not helping our cause here with comments like those," Ukyo said dryly.

"Hmm. I guess you're right," Ranko said seriously. She tapped her chin in a contemplative manner and screwed her face up to look like she was thinking really hard before she sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, sorry, I still got nothing."

Akane and Ukyo laughed at her joke. The blue-haired girl was happy to see her two friends getting along so well.

"Thanks, but your brother isn't into me like that. He made that pretty clear when we went out the first time."

"Sugar, that was then. I mean, I don't know him very well but it seems pretty obvious that he likes you."

"I do know him that well and he's definitely into you. Look if it doesn't work out between you two, we'll still be friends. And if it _does_ , we could be sisters!" Ranko added excitedly. "That alone should be reason enough to give him another shot," the redhead added with a wink.

Akane smiled at her enthusiasm. The blue-haired girl bit her lip as she thought over the information. It was nice to have her friends' opinion that that she wasn't the only one feeling this attraction but she still wasn't convinced.

Knowing Akane needed some time to think it over, Ukyo said, "Why don't you just think it over okay, sugar?"

"Okay. Anyone want another takoyaki? I kinda dropped mine," the youngest Tendo said sheepishly.

They walked a few steps before Ranko spoke again.

"Just promise me one thing?" the redhead added in a serious tone.

Akane paused and looked at her friend, a little concerned. "Of course, what is it?"

"I don't want to hear about any of the kinky stuff you let my brother do to you, okay?" she said with a grin before she started laughing.

Ukyo who had heard the story before understood the reference immediately and giggled. Their laughter only increased in volume as the two watched the blue-haired girl turn red in embarrassment.

"How many times do I have to tell you, I picked that book out by accident!"

* * *

Over at the end of the pier, Ryoga took a deep breath and sighed. It was a good as a time as any to talk to Ranma. Ukyo had suggested – very firmly – that he broach the subject with his friend. And he was _only_ doing it because he happened to agree with her. Ranma and Akane would make a good couple. He was definitely not doing it because he was a little scared of his girlfriend when she got mad.

And he definitely wasn't doing it because he was pussy-whipped like Ranma kept saying.

Because he wasn't. The fanged man smirked as he figured a way to make Ukyo happy and get a little revenge on his friend too. But first thing first, he needed to make sure that Ranma was interested in Akane for more than just her body.

"So, when are you gonna finally ask Akane out?"

"Hurnh?" Ranma responded around a mouth full of chicken yakitori. "What you talking about?" he asked after he swallowed his food.

"You and Akane. You like her."

Ranma shrugged casually. "Yeah, I think she's cool."

Ryoga sighed. He knew this wasn't going to be easy. Getting Ranma to talk about 'feelings' was like pulling teeth.

"I mean you're into her."

"We're friends, that's all."

"Let me tell you something, friends don't look at each other the way you do her."

"Okay, maybe I check her out a little. But come on, you gotta admit she's fucking hot. Who wouldn't look?"

"A little? If you stared at her anymore, she could take out a restraining order against your stalker ass."

Ranma only rolled his eyes at the comment.

"I just want to know if you're only interested in her looks."

"What are you talking about?"

Frustrated, Ryoga said bluntly, "I'm trying to figure out if you are really interested in her or if you wanna just bang her."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"That you're a slut. Don't deny it, we both know it's true." When Ranma only crossed his arms over his chest and didn't object, Ryoga continued. "Akane aint' like your other girls, she's not the type of girl you fuck and just roll off of on your way home."

"Hey, I might sleep around but I don't treat girls like that and you know it," the pig-tailed man said defensively.

"Fine. But my point is the same. Akane is sweet and smart. She's Ranko's friend and Ukyo's bestfriend. You can't just screw her and go on your merry way."

"I'm not an idiot, you don't think I know that?" Realizing that Ryoga wasn't going to let the topic go until he got an answer, he finally admitted how he felt. "I like her, okay? She's…different. Special. Are you happy now?"

In fact, he was. Ryoga nodded his head in what looked to be understanding. "I get it."

"Get what?"

"Why you won't make a move." Smiling broadly now, he added casually, "I don't blame you for being _scared_ of asking her out though, I mean not with the way she _rejected_ you on your first date."

"I told you the reason for that," Ranma said tightly.

The fanged man continued as if he didn't hear the comment, "I mean it was bound to happen. You just finally met a woman smart enough to know you're a bad bet. Your streak with women had to end somewhere. Don't let it get you down."

"Why the hell are you suddenly so interested in who I date, anyway?" Ranma asked angrily.

Ryoga let out an amused chuckle.

"I'm not. I just find it funny. Here I am with a smart, funny, _hot_ girlfriend having the best sex of my life and you're…well…being single isn't so bad," he said patronizingly.

Standing up, Ryoga stretched as he eyed Ranma who looked as if he had just sucked on a lemon. He patted his best-friend on the back.

"You'll get used to it. At least, you know your right hand will treat you well."

Putting his hands in his pockets, he was about to walk away when he decided he needed to give his friend some real advice.

"You know, if you don't ask her out soon, you're gonna find yourself stuck in a place you aren't gonna like," Ryoga said seriously.

"Yeah, and where is that?"

"The Friend Zone."

Ranma shuddered at the thought and Ryoga walked away with a wide grin on his face, knowing his work was done.

* * *

The group walked back towards their spot when Ukyo and Akane became distracted by a two on two beach volleyball game. They both walked closer so they could watch the match.

"What's going on?" Ryoga asked the two as he walked up to them with the Saotome siblings in tow.

"Oh, we're just watchin' the game," Ukyo replied distractedly.

"Are you watching the match or the guys? 'Cuz damn!" Ranko said as she admired the four spectacularly fit men in front of them.

"The game. They're pretty good," Akane said her eyes riveted to the action on the court.

Ranma walked up until he stood next to her. As he thought back to what Ryoga said, his already bruised ego rankled at the idea that the blue-haired girl was checking out other guys.

Was he already stuck in The Friend Zone?

Was this what his future had in store? Standing next to the girl he wanted while she checked out other guys.

What next? Was she going to start telling him which one she thought was hotter?

Then what? She'd cry on his shoulder over some guy all the while telling him what a good 'friend' he was, telling him how she wished she could find someone as nice as him, while treating him like a eunuch?

Fuck that bullshit.

"Feh, they're not that great," Ranma said offhandedly as he eyed the guys playing.

"Yeah, they don't look that tough," Ryoga added gruffly, jealous that his girlfriend was paying more attention to them than him.

"Oh, do you guys play volleyball?" Akane asked curiously.

"No, but it's not that tough a sport," the fanged man said dismissively. "I'm sure if we tried, we could totally crush those guys."

"Well, it does look like a fun," Ukyo said sweetly. "How about we play a game?"

"Sure why not?" Ryoga said with a shoulder shrug. Ranma only nodded his head to show his agreement.

"Akane, are you in?" Ukyo asked.

"Sure! Sounds like fun. How are we gonna split up the team? Girls versus boys?"

"Well, that doesn't sound very fair," Ranma said.

"You're right, there are three of us and only two of you. Ranko, would you mind sitting out?"

"Hmm?" the redhead said as she was still staring at the four sweaty men. "No, I don't mind, I'll just watch."

"Okay, great!" Akane said with a smile.

"But will this be unfair for you two? Wouldn't you prefer mixed teams?" Ranma asked since Akane had completely misunderstood his earlier comment.

"No, Sugar, we'll be fine," Ukyo said interrupting them. "Let's make it interesting, losing team has to buy the winning team and Ranko dessert?"

"Oh, free dessert? Yay!" the redhead said enthusiastically now that she was going to get a free dessert regardless of who won.

"Okay but just to make it fair, we'll give you guys a three point lead okay?" Ryoga asked.

"Sure. Now we have to just find a ball," Akane said.

There was already three nets and courts set up side by side. The current match was being held on the one closest to them and the other two were open but no one in their group brought a ball.

"Oh, let me handle that," Ranko said with a smile.

She finger combed her hair to give it more body and walked towards the other group with an exaggerated sway to her hips. If things went as planned she could borrow their extra ball and get to flirt with some cute guys too.

* * *

"How about we let you girls go first?" Ranma said, handing the ball to Akane as they reached the court.

"Aww, such gentlemen," she said with a bat of her eyelashes.

The blue haired girl took the ball and walked to her side of the court. She and Ukyo stretched slightly as they had a short huddle. When they were done, she picked up the ball and walked to the edge of the court.

The boys smiled and exchanged an amused look as they watched; both men thought it cute that the girls needed a plan to discuss their strategy and that they bothered to stretch.

"Zero-Zero," Ukyo called out before she tossed the ball into the air then jumped up and hit the ball with her right hand while still in the midair. The ball soared over the net and hit the sand before the two men could close their gaping mouths.

"Nice serve!" Akane exclaimed before she gave her teammate a high five.

The men turned to look at each other questioningly, surprised that she could serve like that after implying she had never played before. Ryoga went to pick up the ball and rolled it under the net to Ukyo, who picked it up deftly.

"Oh, did I mention that I played varsity volleyball all three years of high school?" the chef said with a grin, the ball resting on her hip in cocky stance.

She served again, but this time the boys were prepared and Ranma managed to reach the ball before it reached the sand. His save was a little sloppy though and the ball went wide to the left. Ryoga ran and just managed to hit the ball with his left fist sending it over the net.

Akane was in position and bumped the ball smoothly towards the net, where Ukyo was already standing, using two hands to set the ball perfectly. The blue haired girl took two wide steps towards the middle of the net and jumped up, spiking the ball over the net, where it landed between the two men who had run into each other in their attempts to hit it.

"What the hell? I said I got it," they screamed in unison once they got off the ground.

The men glowered at each other and Ryoga picked up the ball again. He turned around to see Ukyo standing with her arm slung on Akane's shoulder, while the blue-haired girl had her arm around the chef's waist.

"Oh, and Akane? She was Captain of the team for the last two years, when we became divisional champions. She was voted MVP both years," the chef said with a grin.

Both men groaned as they figured out they had been had.

* * *

What followed was the most one-sided, brutal game that Ranko had ever seen. The girls completely trashed the boys, showing them no mercy.

The redhead was grinning ear to ear.

That should teach those morons about underestimating their opponents just because they were women.

Now she had a yummy dessert to look forward to, a story to tease her brother mercilessly about for the rest of her life, and she got the number from one of the cute guys who were playing volleyball earlier. In fact, Sato and his friends were so impressed by Ukyo and Akane that when the foursome finished their game they sat with Ranko and watched the blood bath. After the girls won, the four men had invited them to play a game with them.

Ranko was currently sitting between a sulking Ranma and Ryoga as they watched the mixed three on three match.

* * *

"Thanks for the sundae!" Akane said with a smile.

"No problem, you deserve it," Ranma said as he placed one in front of her. "You? Not so much," he said to his sister as he placed another sundae in front of her.

"Thanks, bro!" she said, too happy with her dessert to give his comment another thought.

"So, you're pretty good."

"Thanks," Akane said with a blush.

She only felt a tiny bit guilty for conning them but their comments about volleyball being such an easy sport really rubbed her the wrong way. She was glad that they weren't being sore losers about it though. She knew that some guys were really prickly when it came to losing to girls.

Ranma had a very short sulk about losing to the girls but since he knew that they were clearly superior players, he got over it quickly.

He actually spent more of his time brooding over the idea that he would only ever be Akane's friend. The thought left a sour taste in his mouth and a bad feeling in his stomach. He did his best to shake off his sudden mood, not wanting to take it out on the blue-haired girl, who, while being the source of his uncharacteristic insecurity, had done nothing to deserve his ire.

Plus, he knew that it wouldn't help his chances with her if he acted like a little bitch over something like a casual volleyball game. Besides, he had been rather impressed at how well the two worked together, both on and off the court. They were able to coordinate their plan quickly and easily with no discussion beforehand. He had to remember to keep on his toes around those two.

Grabbing his own dessert Ranma joined the two at their table while Ryoga and Ukyo took a short walk with theirs.

"So, what other sports do you play? I want to make sure I don't get suckered again," he asked with a grin.

* * *

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly as the group went back into the water to swim, where Ranko taught Akane about boogie boarding before the group decided to build a sand castle. What it lacked in beauty and grace the castle sure made up for in size. For dinner the group decided to sit down at one of the more casual restaurants. Afterwards the group put on some warmer clothes and sat back down on the beach to watch the sunset. The horizon was a beautiful blaze of red, orange, and yellow hues.

Akane had a lot of time to think over her friends' comments as the sun set into the earth. She wanted to believe that Ranma was interested in her but she knew she had always been a terrible judge about such things. Unless a guy was obviously hitting on her, like when they went to a club, she was never able to pick up on the subtle hints from guys that showed they liked her. It always surprised her when a 'friend' suddenly asked her out. But when she looked at a situation after the fact it seemed kind of obvious. Not for the first time, she wished she was better at these things. Especially now, when it mattered.

For the first time, in a long time, she truly liked someone. Even though he was brash, loud, and a little sexist, she really enjoyed his company. Maybe it was because she knew he used those traits to hide the good person he was inside.

She would forever be grateful to him for teaching her to swim today. She knew that if she expressed those sentiments to him, he would brush of the act saying 'it was no big deal,' but to her it was. She had been scared of the water for as long as she could remember and he had somehow not only gotten her over the fear but got her to enjoy being in the ocean. It was something she would never forget.

Or maybe it was because he was so comfortable with who he was, something she really admired in a person. His handsome face and amazing body didn't hurt either. She didn't consider herself a shallow person but it was hard not to notice someone that good looking. She had noticed men before but it was rare for her to find a male that she was so physically attracted to.

She just wished she knew what to do about it. She could ask him out herself but she wasn't used to doing things like that and the thought made her sweat a little. Plus if he said no, it would put them in an awkward position. Their best-friends were dating, which meant they now hung out as group more often than not. Their fathers were best-friends and often decided to do 'family' things together. Not to mention she was friends with Ranko and taking cooking lessons with his mom, which meant she would be at the Saotome home a lot. They were connected in multiple ways. If he turned her down, she would feel awkward every time she saw him.

Ultimately, she decided that if he were interested in her, he needed to be the one to make the move. She reasoned that on their first date, he was the one that had made sure that she wasn't interested in him, so he should be the one to approach her if his feelings changed. And if he did ask her out, there was no question that she would say yes.

Ranma had a lot to think about while he sat next to the blue-haired girl and watched the sun set. As much as he hated to admit it, Ryoga had been right, he was scared to ask Akane out. It had been so long since he had been serious about a girl that he was afraid that she would reject him, especially given their history.

Sure they had gotten to know each other better but did that change her opinion of him enough so that she would be willing to give him another chance? Or did she still think of him as the asshole she originally met?

He wasn't really sure how she felt so he hadn't made a move, hoping to buy more time for her to get to know him better first. But that was just a stalling tactic. He'd never know unless he tried.

There was also the possibility that someone else could ask her out before he did. She was an exceedingly attractive woman, who was also smart and funny. It was surprising to him that she wasn't already in a relationship and he chalked that up to her being picky about who she was with. He probably wasn't the only one interested in her, he was sure that she had her fair share of admirers. It was a distinct possibility that someone could come along and catch her interest before he made his move.

If he didn't try soon, he would be stuck only ever being her friend and that was something he couldn't live with.

Huh. Ryoga being right twice in one day. Miracles could happen. But he reasoned, if a broken clock can be right twice a day, he guessed his dense friend could too.

* * *

On the way back to the car, Ukyo, Ryoga, and Ranko walked ahead leaving the pair to follow them a distance away.

As they walked next to each other in the twilight, Ranma cleared his throat.

"Did you have fun today?"

"Yeah, it was great. I'm so glad I decided to come along and skip school."

"That's good."

God, why was he so nervous?

"So I was wondering, are you busy Saturday?"

"Tomorrow, well…"

"No, sorry, I mean next Saturday."

She thought over her mental calendar for a moment.

"I'm free that day."

"Then do you want to go to dinner?

"Yeah, that sounds fun."

Relief flooded him, she said yes!

"Who else is coming?"

Scratch that. She thought it was another group thing.

"Well, just you and me."

She faltered in her next step. Was he really asking her out?

"Just you and me? Like a date?" she asked hopefully.

"Yup. A date." He hesitated for a moment before he added, "I know I screwed up on our first one and I know I don't deserve it, but do you think you wanna give it a second chance?"

"Yes. I think I do."

* * *

 **A/N:** Being in the Friend Zone has to be the worst thing for a guy.

I hope that you've enjoyed the second beach episode. After 10 chapters, they are finally going out on another date! But with how the couple started, I hope that it doesn't feel like I dragged it out too long.

Thank you, **alwaysZutarian** for all your help!


	11. Chapter 11

"No, no, no. No. No!" Akane muttered as she went through her closet pulling out and rejecting shirt after shirt.

She looked around her room at the piles of clothing littering her normally tidy room.

"Why can't I find something to wear?!" she exclaimed to herself in frustration as she threw her arms in the air.

She liked all her clothes, she had picked them out herself, after all. Well, other than that hideous sweater her father had given her for Christmas but she had buried that far in the corner of the closet waiting to be added into the pile for donation. So why was it so hard for her to find something right?

Before she could spiral further down the rabbit hole a series of beeps from her laptop grabbed her attention. She pushed her chair back and sat down as she clicked on the Skype program. Almost instantly an image of her middle sister popped onto her screen. Nabiki had not changed much since she left home, the only difference being that her face – framed in the same blunt bob she had since high school – had lost some of the baby fat.

"Hi, Nabiki! How you're doing?"

"Good." Always observant, the middle Tendo tilted her head to the side as she tried to view her sister's room. "Move your head to the side, will you?"

Perplexed, Akane moved out of view of the camera. Nabiki had a good look at the disaster that was her sister's normally neat room.

"What happened? Were we robbed?" the middle Tendo asked with an eyebrow quirked.

Popping back into the screen, the blue-haired girl asked, "Robbed? Why would you think that?"

"Well, someone obviously ransacked your room."

"Oh, that. No, I'm just trying to find something to wear."

"Why, you got a big date?"

"Actually, yes."

"Well, well. Little Akane actually fussing for a date? The guy must be something special. Do tell."

"Daddy set us up on a blind date. Let's just say it didn't go well. We've kinda been forced to hang out with each since because his friend is dating Ukyo and, well, we decided to give it another shot."

"So one of Daddy's blind dates actually worked, huh? Don't tell him or it may go to his head."

"Still bitter about that French guy he tried to set you up with in high school?"

"You would be too if you had to sit across from that moron for an entire dinner. He had horrible table manners; he literally licked his plate," the middle Tendo said with disdain. "So, what's the problem, why are you having such a problem finding what to wear?"

"Because I don't know where we're going! He asked me out to dinner last week but called me a few days ago to change plans. He's picking me up at 2 o'clock."

"Why didn't you just ask him where he was taking you?"

"I did but he just said it was a surprise and to wear something comfortable."

"And you want to be comfortable but you want to look cute at the same time because it's a first date, right?"

"Exactly!"

Nabiki, always quick on her feet, thought over the situation quickly.

"Is there a festival going on right now?"

"Yes, the Tanabata festival is this weekend."

"He's probably taking you there, which is why he's picking you up so early."

Akane slumped in her chair. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"Because you were too excited about your date?"

"I guess. So should I pull out a yukata?"

Nabiki shook her head.

"No. On the off chance I'm wrong, you don't want to stand out or be wearing the wrong clothes."

"Okay, then what do I wear?"

The middle Tendo tapped her chin with her index finger as she thought. The process would have been easier had she still been living at home and more familiar with her sister's closet from 'borrowing' her things. Nabiki smirked as the answer came to her.

"How about that high-low dress that I sent you for your birthday?"

"The floral one with all the straps?"

"Yeah. The hemline makes the dress both casual and dressy, the straps make it sexy, and the material should hug your curves well."

"What do I wear it with?"

"A pair of strappy sandals and bring a denim jacket if you get cold. Oh, and don't bring a purse. Just put some essentials in a wristlet."

"I think that'll work."

Akane leaned back with a smile on her face as she thought over the outfit. Her sister had always been somewhat of a fashion maven. She looked at the corner of her screen and noticed the time and realized that she had to start getting dressed if she wanted to be ready in time.

"Thanks, Nabiki! I gotta go get ready now."

"Okay. But one other thing, don't try to wear a bra under that dress, it won't work. Oh and you should skip the panties too. I'm sure he'll appreciate it if the night goes well," Nabiki said with her trademark smirk on her face.

Akane only laughed and shook her head in amusement.

"Bye sis! Thanks for the help and call Dad, he worries."

"Bye." Nabiki said with a finger wave.

The blue-haired girl ended the Skype call and sat there with a grin. Despite the fact that they used to fight a lot, and had very little in common, she really missed her sister. Now that they were no longer living in the same house, their relationship was a good one. They may never be as close as Akane wanted but now they were at least friends.

Pushing back from her desk, she went to her closet to find her dress, denim jacket, and black wristlet before she went to her bureau. She reached inside and pulled out a pair of panties. Walking away she paused as she thought of over her sisters words.

What if the date went well?

She bit her lip before returning to her bureau, tossed the panties she had in her hand back inside, before she rummaged through the drawer. She rejected a few options before she pulled out a pair of blue lacey tanga style panties that would be comfortable, keep her from having a visible panty line, and be sexy at the same time.

After getting dressed, Akane stood in front of the mirror and nodded in satisfaction. The outfit was casual enough for a day date but still dressy enough if the date went into the evening, and sexy enough to keep Ranma's eyes on her all day.

Score one for Nabiki.

She grabbed her wristlet and transferred her ID, her subway card, some cash, and a credit card inside. She grabbed her lipgloss and reapplied a light layer before putting it and her phone inside the small wristlet.

Akane smiled when she thought of seeing Ranma. With their schedules, she had not seen him since the beach but they had talked every day, either on the phone, IM, or through text.

She was a little nervous about the date. She wanted it to go well so badly that she was afraid she was jinxing herself. They had spent a lot of time together but always around other people. It was different on a date when they had only each other for company.

But she couldn't deny she was looking forward to it. She had been daydreaming about it all week and she felt like a giddy teenager.

* * *

Ranma looked through his closet and picked out a simple t-shirt and dark jeans, putting them on quickly before he ran a brush through his freshly washed hair before braiding it in his normal style. He looked in the mirror satisfied with his appearance. He knew he looked good - he always did - but he still wasn't sure of himself.

He sighed and shook his head. There wasn't much he could do about it now but he was still second guessing his decision on where to go on his date with Akane.

It was all his Ranko's fault.

 _"So, you finally asked Akane out, huh?" the redhead asked her brother._

 _It was the morning after their day at the beach and she had let herself into his room with a perfunctory knock._

 _"Shhh," he hissed back._

 _He walked to the door and stuck his head out, looking left and right into the hallway, relieved that his parents were not within earshot. He closed the door and turned around to look at his sister._

 _"Yeah, I asked her out."_

 _"About damn time. So where are you taking her?"_

 _"To dinner."_

 _"Let me guess, someplace quiet, with candle light and some good wine, where you can romance her before taking her back to your place?"_

 _Ranma eyed his sister warily._

 _"Yeah, something like that." Exactly like that. "How did you know?"_

 _"Because that's your standard isn't it? Wine and dine them before you bed them."_

 _"I don't even want to know how you know that."_

 _"You're not as mysterious as you think."_

 _Ranko shook her head._

 _"I'm disappointed in you."_

 _"Why?"_

 _"Because I thought you cared for Akane."_

 _"I do."_

 _"Then why are you treating her like those hos you usually date? If all you wanted to do was fu…"_

 _"That's not it!" he interrupted not really wanting to talk about that with his little sister. "But what else am I gonna do with her on a first date? Dinner is kinda standard, isn't it?"_

 _"If you think she only deserves your 'standard' then go ahead."_

He had brushed off the conversation after it happened but then her words had left a small seed of doubt in the back of his mind. By the middle of the week he was no longer certain dinner was the right move because his sister was right; dinner and sex was the standard date for him. For once sex wasn't the only thing he wanted, although he couldn't deny that he did want Akane. Bad.

It was then that he had come up with what he thought a great date. He only hoped that she would enjoy it since it was too late for him to change their plans now.

He put his wallet, keys, and cell phone in his pockets and headed out the door.

* * *

Ranma walked to the entrance gate of the Tendo property and rang on the doorbell.

Inside, Akane smiled, surprised and pleased at his promptness. She slipped on her sandals and left the main house, glad that her father had gone out for the afternoon. She hadn't told him about her date with Ranma. She didn't want to get his hopes up in case the date went badly but mostly she didn't want to deal with his meddling.

When the outer gate opened Ranma's eyes widened when he got a look at Akane. Her dress was made of a thin material in a blue floral that hugged her curvy body. The front dipped low, giving him a view of her wonderful breasts and the front of her dress was short, giving him a glimpse of the legs that he loved. She had a wide smile on her face and a slight twinkle in her eye.

She looked perfect.

The blue-haired girl didn't miss the appreciative look in his eyes or the way his eyes trailed over her body. When his eyes finally landed back on her face, she gave him a shy smile, silently thanking her sister for her help.

"Wow. You look great, 'kane," he said after he took another appraising look at her.

"Thanks," she said, her smile going wide and flirtatious, making his stomach flip.

She turned to close and lock the gate and his eyes widened again. The back of her dress was nothing more than a series of straps, the bottom starting just above the curve of her butt, most of her back was left bare. His hand twitched with the urge to touch her incredibly smooth skin again. He swallowed hard when he realized there was no way she was wearing a bra. By the time she turned around he had composed himself and his cool demeanor was back in place.

"So where are we going?" Akane asked as they followed Ranma's lead.

"The Tenabata Festival. I thought it'd be fun to play some of the games and the festival food is always pretty good. We could do something else if that doesn't sound good to you."

"No, that sounds great," she said with a smile.

Another score for Nabiki.

* * *

"Bamboo stems! Get your bamboo stems! Young man, buy one and write your name and your girl's name on it. Any man and woman who attach their names to the leaves are destined to me married, or so the legend says!" a man dressed in a blue yukata yelled as he waved them forward.

"Ummm…" Ranma muttered awkwardly.

Marriage discussions on a first, well technically second, date seemed to be putting the carriage in front of the horse.

"Why don't we go in this direction?" Akane asked, pointing away from the salesman and pretending she hadn't heard him.

She too knew it was too early to even mutter the word marriage.

"Great idea," the pigtailed man said, grateful for the out.

* * *

"See 3000 year old cursed Chinese scroll!" a man yelled as he tried to get people to come in to his little mobile theatre.

"What do you think?" Ranma asked looking at his date.

"Ooh, that sounds like fun!"

Inside, they found a small stage with some benches surrounding it. There were people seated around the front so the pair decided to sit down in the back. An old man dressed in Chinese robes came out and bowed to the crowd.

In a low mysterious voice that was heavily accented, he began, "These three scrolls you about to see are truly most terrifying on Earth! The first one, my grandfather die one year after finishing!"

The man motioned to the right and a scroll unfurled. On it was a depiction of a beast with the head of a dragon, it's long horns and fangs prominent as it stood on a bed of skulls. What was truly ominous about the creature was the eyes that seemed to stare directly at the viewer.

The crowd murmured silently in awe at the picture.

"Second one, my father die three year after finishing," the Chinese man said after a moment, bringing the crowd's attention back to him.

He moved and another scroll unfurled. On it was an oni with long flowing hair and the body of a spider, his tongue outstretched as if to lick an unsuspecting foe as great hairy spiders seem to move around him with each sway of the parchment.

"Oh! How horrible!" a woman gasped as she burrowed closer to her date.

Akane put her hand over her mouth, trying to stifle a giggle. Noticing it, Ranma turned to her.

"You don't think they're scary?"

She shook her head in mirth at the others' responses.

"They're ugly but cursed?" she whispered back and shrugged her shoulders.

"But look at all those spooooky spiders," he said in a low voice as he wiggled his fingers.

"Spiders have never scared me."

"Even the thought of them running up your neck?" he asked and wiggled his fingertips up and down the nape of her neck.

Akane yelped in surprise before she giggled at the sensation and swatted his hand away. Around them a few people turned to look at them curiously. The Chinese man on stage narrowed his eyes at them, causing the blue-haired woman to duck, trying to hide herself. Ranma only stared back blandly. The Chinese man cackled evilly, drawing the crowd's attention back to him.

"You see nothing yet!" He unveiled another scroll that was equally dark in theme.

"Still not scared?" Ranma asked.

"No," she said with an eye roll.

Ranma smirked as he brought his hand to her neck and wiggled his fingers over her neck again. Akane smothered a laugh as she elbowed him in the side. They both laughed at the reactions of the crowd as another scroll came down.

"3000 year accursed magic behind this scroll, painted with accursed brush on accursed vellum, making accursed art. My most accursed scroll," the man on stage said dramatically.

Shoulders shaking, Akane could barely control her laughter as she looked at the most ridiculous painting she had ever seen.

"What is it?" Ranma blurted out loudly for everyone to hear.

The blue-haired woman put her hands over her mouth to muffle her laughter.

Affronted, the man answered shortly, "It Panda. What you think?"

Ranma tilted his head to the side and squinted at it, "Is it a girl panda?"

The crowd tittered at the comment.

"You can't tell by look?" the Chinese man asked with a growl as he glared at the pig-tailed man.

Ranma was about to retort when Akane grabbed him by the hand and rushed out the back. When they got outside she released him and laughed loudly as she wiped a tear from her eye.

"The only thing that cursed that last painting was bad taste," Ranma said dryly, which had Akane giggling again.

"Yeah it was really bad. But you shouldn't have said anything. That poor man looked so insulted."

"Hey, it's not my fault he can't draw. Besides, it made you laugh, didn't it?" he said with a smirk that had her blushing.

* * *

Snacks in hand, the pair walked amongst some of the carnival games. They stopped occasionally to watch people play.

"Come and win a fish for your lady!" the man called to Ranma and waved him over.

"You want a pet fish?" the pig-tailed man asked curiously.

"Sure! I've always wanted a pet," she said with a smile.

"Okay, then, I'm getting you a fish." They walked over to one of the men and he asked, "How much?"

"Only 100 yen a try," the man said with a devious grin.

Ranma paid and was handed a small round wire piece holding a mesh fishing net. He took it and sat in front of a small glass tank that contained a dozen or so goldish. With his hand hovering above the tank, he waited until a fish swam close to the top and quickly brought the net down into the water. He pulled out his hand triumphantly and looked down at…

Nothing.

"Hey, the net on this thing is broken!"

"Oh, it is? Well, here's another net," the man said in an oily voice. When Ranma reached out for it, he added, "only 100 more yen."

"What? That's ridiculous. Let's go," Akane said in a disgusted voice.

Ranma and the man had a short staring contest, the salesman all but daring him to continue.

"Nah. I've got this," the pigtailed man replied cockily, confident in his skills.

2,000 yen later, Ranma proudly presented Akane with a plastic bag containing his prized goldfish.

"See? I told you I could do it!" he said proudly.

 _Yes, and you only spent 20,000 yen on a fish that cost 100_ , she thought to herself in amusement. Out loud she said, "Thank you," as she took the bag. She looked into the bag and smiled at the wide eyed fish. "I think I'm going to name him F-Chan!"

"F-chan?"

"Yeah, F for Fish and Chan for cute!"

"Sounds great."

They both turned to leave but were stopped when they noticed a little boy crying as he held onto a broken net. Akane walked over the boy and kneeled down until she was at eye level with him.

"What's wrong?" she asked kindly.

"Mm-yy nnet bwoke!" he cried as he knuckled his eyes.

"You can always try again," Akane said.

"I've," sniff, "got no more," sniff, "money," he said with a pout.

Akane looked up and made eye contact with Ranma. Understanding the look she was giving him, he sighed but nodded nonetheless.

"Well, how would you like this little guy?" she asked the little boy as she held up the plastic bag.

The little boy looked up in wonder as his tears dried up.

"Really?" he asked as he eyed the fish.

"Really," she said and handed him the bag.

"Thank you!" he said with a wide smile before he ran off yelling, "Mommy! Guess what I have!"

Standing up, Akane smiled as she watched him go.

"I hope you don't mind," she said to Ranma.

"Not at all."

In fact he thought it really sweet that she wanted to make the little boy happy. They walked away and Ranma lead her in another direction.

"Besides, we can always get you something else. There's a coin toss game over there where you can win stuffed animals." They reached the booth and he asked, "So which one do you like?"

She looked around and smiled when one in particular caught her eye.

"That little black pig is cute," she said pointing to one near the bottom of the display.

"Okay. Let me guess, you're gonna name him P-Chan?"

"Yup!" she said with a wide smile.

* * *

Ranma couldn't help be a little jealous of the little black pig as Akane gave it a kiss on the snout and snuggled it to her chest. He tried not to stare as the motion pushed her breasts up slightly.

"What do you want to do next?" she asked him.

He nodded across the way and said, "The Tunnel of Cursed Love, it's a haunted house."

"Oh. I hate those things!"

"Why?"

"I get totally scared."

"But you were okay when we went to look at the scrolls."

"Yes, but that's just a picture. In haunted houses, people jump out at you and things pop up. I jump every time; it's embarrassing. I'd be totally hanging on you the entire time." She smiled at him slyly and looked at him under hooded eyes. "Unless that's what you wanted."

That's exactly what he was thinking. "That doesn't sound so bad," he said with a small smile, his eyes twinkling.

She stepped closer to him and gave him a flirty smile of her own.

"I don't need an excuse for that," she said before she stood up on her tippy toes and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks again for the fish," she said before she placed a light kiss on his lips.

The kiss was somehow sweet and erotic at the same time. A promise of more. A shiver ran up Ranma's spine.

"And thanks for the pig," she said lowly before slipping her hand into his.

* * *

"What do you want to do now?" Ranma asked as the day turned into dusk.

"Well, I'm getting kinda tired of walking around," Akane said.

They had spent hours exploring the festival and playing various games, all the while holding hands. Normally the pig-tailed man hated it when the girls he was with became clingy with their PDA but with the blue-haired girl, he was surprised he enjoyed it.

Akane had the best time with Ranma. They spent most of their date talking and laughing. She loved the way he touched her, so casually yet intimately. He'd put his hand at the small of her back and ran his hand gently along her back as he pulled away. He'd draw small circles on her hands with his thumb while they walked. He would reach up and tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. They had a fun time but her feet were starting to hurt; sandals while cute, weren't supportive.

"Oh. Do you want me to take you home?" the pig-tailed man asked in disappointment. He had not wanted to end their date so early.

"No. I just want to sit for a little while, if that's okay. My feet are starting to hurt."

Relieved that the day wasn't going to end, Ranma thought over the possibilities. It was nearing dinner so they could go somewhere to eat but as they had been grazing all day, he wasn't particularly hungry and he doubted she was either.

"We can go and watch a movie?" He suggested. Another idea popped into his mind and he thought it over for a second, not sure whether he was being too forward but then decided to just go for it. "Or we could go back to my place and watch something on Netflix."

"Your place it is."

* * *

It took a while but they ended up picking an old Jackie Chan movie, something they had both seen numerous time. It turned out that they were both into action movies as long as it featured martial arts. Jackie Chan was a favorite for them both since his fight scenes were always imaginative and fun.

The movie went ignored as the pair was wrapped up in each other.

After putting the remote on the coffee table, Ranma sat down with his arm over the back of the couch. It pleased him when she leaned into him immediately and snuggled into his side, her hand placed lightly on his stomach. He moved his hand to her bare shoulder and massaged it gently.

Akane closed her eyes at the sensation. She had never been so turned on by such simple touches before. Her entire body seemed to tingle and she felt the pull of desire build in her belly. Her hand clenched his shirt before relaxing as she let it roam over the abs underneath.

She wanted him.

Ranma was surprised when she suddenly moved away from him. He wondered briefly if he did something wrong. He gave her a confused look when she stood before him and was completely surprised when she put her knees on either of side of his hips before she lowered herself on top of him. She put her hands on his chest and moved them slowly up to his shoulders and neck before she cupped his face gently. She lowered her face to his slowly, as if to give him time to tell her to stop. Like that would ever happen.

She placed a light kiss on the right corner of his mouth, then the left, before she kissed him gently on the lips. Akane pulled back slightly to see his head angled back, his eyes closed just as she felt his hands move to her hips. She leaned in and nipped the bottom of his lip between her teeth.

She was teasing him and he fucking loved it. But he needed to taste her and brought his hand to the back of her head and pulled her towards him. His tongue traced her lips, which parted at his silent request before he delved into her, their tongues dancing around each other.

He'd been mesmerized by her back all day and was finally able to indulge himself. He moved his free hand upward and slipped it underneath the straps of her dress, letting it roam wherever he could, massaging her as he went. His other hand began to run through her hair, playing with the soft locks.

She loved his hands. Every movement from him sent tingles through her body. The area between her thighs began to throb with need.

Her scent, her taste, filed his senses. He was already rock hard.

She loved the feel his length against her already wet core. She ground her hips against him, relishing the slight relief she received from the sensation. She moaned low in the back of her throat as her lips continued to assault his.

"Raanmaa."

His hands moved, this time to her butt. He squeezed her tight bottom before he moved them to her hips. He used them to push her down harder on his manhood before moving her back and forth along his member. His hips thrusting into her.

"Raaannn-maaaa!"

Suddenly, she stilled on top of him and pulled her mouth off of his. He opened his eyes and looked at her confused face. He wondered what was wrong as she was just calling out his name.

Wait.

It took him a moment (since most of the blood had left his big head a while back) to realize that she couldn't have been calling his name as her mouth had been busy with his. They looked at each other for another moment before they both turned towards a singsong, slightly slurred voice coming from behind his front door.

"Raaan-maa! Are you home? Open the door, cutie!"

 _Fuck_.

* * *

 **A/N:** Please don't throw things at me. I'm know, I'm such a cock-blocker. There are a lot of references in this chapter to the manga but I couldn't help myself, so much good material to work with! Hopefully it wasn't too tiresome for you 'cuz it was really fun for me. I don't know what festivals are like in Japan so I imagined something like a county fair. And the previous disclaimer applies, I know PDA in Japan isn't common, so just roll with it please.

I'm sure there are some people who are surprised by how the date progressed. In chapter 5 of the story when Akane kissed Ranma on the cheek some people made a comment that it seemed OOC and too quick. Please remember that this Akane is very different from the canon. She isn't the shy, emotionally stunted 16 year old we all know and love. She is older, more mature, more secure about her body and sexuality, and doesn't have the same issues with men because she never had to deal with Kuno or the hentai hoard. Her backstory will be revealed more later on.

As always, thanks **alwaysZutarian** for all your help!


	12. Chapter 12

"Raaan-maa! Are you home? Open the door, cutie!"

 _Fuck_ , said man thought as he looked at the door. He was momentarily confused before dread filled him. He was sure he knew who was at the door and what she wanted. He only hoped Akane wouldn't take it too badly.

Ranma and Akane's gaze turned from the door to each other at the same time. Her face was full of confusion, flashed briefly with hurt, before it became cool and unreadable. She moved off him, straightened out her dress, and ran a hand through her hair.

"You should get that," she said coolly as they heard another knock at the door.

The temperature in the room felt like it dropped 15 degrees. Well, there went any hopes of her taking it well.

Ranma moved off the couch and straightened his shirt as he walked to the door. He opened it and suddenly found himself wrapped in a pair of small, feminine arms. Stiffening, he threw his arms up in ninety degree angles. He wanted to push her away but was very aware of Akane's eyes on him and didn't want to place his hands anywhere inappropriate. But knowing how this could look to his date and realizing Azusa's shoulders were the only safe place for his hands to be, Ranma grabbed them and tried to push her away from him but she only burrowed closer.

Akane watched as a girl she didn't know threw herself on _her_ date and proceeded to wrap herself around him like an octopus around its prey. The unknown girl went so far as to burrow her face into his chest. All she could see was the trench coat and pink heels the girl with long curly brown hair was wearing.

The blue-haired woman narrowed her eyes, her hands automatically fisting in anger. Couldn't that girl tell that Ranma was clearly trying to get out of her clutches?

"Ranma!" the brunette cried, her voice muffled as she tried to burrow even closer to him.

"Azusa, wh—"

"I missed you sooo much!" she exclaimed as she was pulled back.

She hopped onto her tippytoes to give him an enthusiastic kiss and was surprised when he moved his head to the side, her lips landing on his cheek instead. Going with the change, she kissed him firmly making a 'muah' sound at the end. The brunette giggled insipidly as she trailed her hand down his chest and pouted at him, she was used to much more enthusiastic greetings from Ranma.

Akane grit her teeth at the sight. It was obvious that Ranma and who ever this was, knew each other and she assumed intimately with the way the girl threw herself into his arms and tried to stick her tongue down his throat. She had never thought she was the type of person to blame 'the other woman' but she had the sudden and intense urge to punch the girl.

"What's wrong, you're not happy to see me?" Azusa asked in a cutesy voice, pouting her lips together.

"Actually, no, I'm not," Ranma said bluntly. Azusa was making it difficult to talk much less get rid of her.

"Aww. After I got all dressed up for you too!"

The brunette stepped back and opened up her trench coat, revealing a sheer frilly pink baby doll with white lacy thigh-high stockings. Ranma quickly grabbed the coat and pulled it closed.

"This really isn't a good time," he said quickly.

"Actually, it's perfect timing, I was just leaving."

Ranma whipped his head around at Akane's declaration. She had already picked up her wristlet and was just putting on her jacket. His eyes widened in panic and he started towards her.

"No! Don't go, please," he pleaded. "This isn't what…"

"Oh, is there someone else here?"

Azusa peered around Ranma, her head cocked to the side as she eyed the stranger before her. She put a bright smile on her face as she came out from behind the pigtailed man and bypassed him as she skipped to the stranger. She stopped right in front of Akane, giving her a big smile, and clapped her hands together.

"Oh, she's so cute!" Azusa exclaimed as she spun to give Ranma a wink. She spun back and grabbed Akane's hands. "You're so cute!" she repeated before she threw her arms around the youngest Tendo and nuzzled her neck.

The blue-haired woman could only stare down in shock before she tried to wriggle herself from the surprisingly strong grip of the waifish girl. She looked up and glared at Ranma. She still couldn't believe she was put into this situation and could only blame him for it.

"The fuck? Azusa stop!" he yelled. _This cannot be happening,_ he thought to himself.

The brunette pouted as she slackened her grip on the blue-haired girl.

"You need to leave," he saidloudly.

He grabbed her arm and tried to pull her off Akane but Azusa only pulled her arm back with a petulant look on her face as she looked from Ranma and Akane.

"But why?" she asked with a whine.

The blue-haired girl could tell by the hazy look in her eyes that she was tipsy, which could explain the erratic behavior. For a reason she couldn't explain, she thought the brunette looked sad. But that did little to dampen her exasperation.

Azusa giggled before wrapping her arms around Akane again. "I like sharing and play really well with others," she said with another giggle. She made her meaning clear as she moved one hand down and over the blue-haired girl's bottom.

 _Is this chick for real?_ Akane thought incredulously, the small amount of sympathy she had about the girl's emotional and physical state vanishing.

"Asuza!" Ranma shouted, getting the attention of both girls. He couldn't believe she propositioned Akane into having a threesome. While it was every guy's fantasy – hell he had dreamed about it himself – it wasn't something he would entertain concerning Akane, much less have it proposed to her by a drunk girl he had slept with as she interrupted their date.

He walked over to them and pulled the brunette forcefully away from his date. Once he got them separated, he held the inebriated girl next to him by the forearm. He turned to his date with an apologetic look, but before he could say something she brushed past him.

"You shouldn't have asked me to come over if you were expecting other company!" Akane said through gritted teeth.

"I had no idea she was coming over tonight!" Ranma said in his defense.

He let go of Azusa and went after Akane, stopping only when she whirled on him suddenly and saw the blazing look in her eyes. Never before had he seen her look so angry. He gulped. His mind racing to find a way, anyway to get her to stay. If he could only explain the situation to her, get her to listen, then maybe he could salvage the night. Or at least make sure she didn't hate him.

"Then you need to do a better job scheduling visits with your girlfriends…unless this was part of your plan all along," she said accusingly, her eyes narrowed.

"What? No! I never…" but he was unable to finish his thought as she yanked the door open and left quickly, slamming the door behind her.

"Fuck!" he yelled as gripped his hair in frustration. He turned around to see Azusa looking at him in confusion. "What are you doing here?" he bit out.

"I came to see you," she said. The answer to that seemed obvious.

"Well, you shouldn't have!"

"Why? You've never complained before," she said with another pout.

Ranma opened his mouth to yell at her but the confused look on her face had his comment dying quickly. He sighed as he tried to rein in his emotions. She was right, he had always liked her little visits before and she often came unannounced, so she couldn't know what a bad time this was.

This entire fucked up situation was his fault.

"I think you should go."

Azusa's face went through several emotions as Ranma's words finally registered to her. Being tipsy, it took her a moment to process what happened and realized that he must have been serious about the cute girl who was here earlier. Guilt over what she had done only rivaled the sadness that filled her. She could always count on Ranma being there to make her feel better, even if it was only on a physical level. He had always made her feel wanted for the short time they were together. Now she felt rejected all over again. She nodded and closed her trench coat as she walked to the door.

"Are you going to be okay? Do you want me to call you a cab?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I'll be fine, don't worry."

"Azuza," Ranma called out.

Turning around, she looked at him questioningly. Seeing the serious expression on his face, she knew what he was going to say and braced herself.

"I don't think you should come over for these visits anymore."

"I understand. I'm sorry, Ranma," Azusa said softly before slipping out.

* * *

Akane's phone had begun buzzing as soon as she hit the subway. She checked it quickly to see Ranma's name fill up her screen. She pressed the decline button and stuffed the phone back into her wristlet. She ignored the incessant buzzing for the entire ride home.

She stormed up to her room and slammed the door shut before dropping her wristlet on her desk and herself on her bed. She took some deep breaths, trying to calm herself. She knew she was letting her feelings get the best of her but then again she had always been a slave to her emotions. But she held onto the anger gladly; the pressure at the back of her eyes telling her that she would succumb to her tears soon.

She was too agitated to just lie around. What she needed was a hard workout. Something to get rid of the sharp edge of emotions so she could think clearly about what had happened. Getting up, she grabbed her worn gi from her closet and changed quickly before heading to the dojo.

* * *

Ranma paced his living room, as he had been since Akane walked out the door. He wondered for the umpteenth time that night how things turned out so badly. They were having such a good time, getting to know each other better and just enjoying each other's company. He had been so pleasantly surprised when she had made the first move on him. He hadn't planned on anything happening between them that night but he sure as hell wasn't going to stop once things got started. No man would when a beautiful woman like Akane straddled them like that.

To go from that, to this.

Just the memory of the look she gave him when she left made his chest ache. She looked at him with such disdain, like he was nothing more than a bug. He had worked so hard to get her to see that he was more than just a jerk. He realized that in the short time they had known each other, her good opinion of him mattered more than anyone's except for his mother and sister, which was saying a lot. For once in his life, he found someone whose good opinion meant the world to him. But it seemed that once again he was on her shit list. He just hoped what happened hadn't completely destroyed her trust in him.

He stopped and looked at the stuffed animal sitting on his coffee table. He tried not to take it as a bad sign that she had left it behind but every time he looked at it, those black eyes seem to taunt at him.

Stupid pig.

Ranma looked down at his phone, trying to not let it get to him that she hadn't texted him back. He had sent her an embarrassing amount of messages and was sorely tempted to send her another one but stopped himself. She obviously needed more time before she was ready to talk. But he couldn't just sit there doing nothing. He had never been good at that.

At that moment, all he wanted to do was to punch something, anything to get rid of this frustration. So that's just what he'd do. He went to his room and changed quickly before heading to the gym.

* * *

Akane came back to her room tired, both physically and emotionally. She had taken a quick soak after her work out and should have felt refreshed but didn't. She felt worn out, and no longer feeling the rush of emotions, she was finally able to think and process what had happened earlier.

She collapsed onto her bed before burrowing herself in her blankets, feeling thoroughly depressed. Now that the initial anger was gone, she was caught in a mix of hurt and embarrassment.

She truly liked Ranma. He was funny, kind, smart, and a bit of a jerk, but for some reason that last quality made him sexier and not obnoxious. She had been so attracted to him for so long, pretty much from the moment she first saw him on that disastrous first date. She pushed her attraction aside when she only thought of him as a jerk but once she got to know him better, it became harder and harder for her to fight that attraction. She had been so happy when he asked her out for a date, because she thought that it meant that he had wanted her too, and not just physically but that he wanted a real relationship with her.

Their date had been amazing, probably the best she ever had. They seemed to get along so well. She had never felt more connected to someone. For once, her mind, body, and emotions were all on the same page, screaming at her that this was someone special. So she saw no reason to wait to be with him. So when they were alone, she had made the first move. She had never been one to play games.

This was their first date yes, but not in the traditional sense. She would have never done something like that on a first date with a stranger to her. But Ranma was no stranger. They were friends. He cared about her. He wanted _more_ with her.

Or so she thought.

Now she felt like a fool. She had known a bit about his past with women and knew he was something of a player, it was not something she could ignore with the jabs Ryoga often threw at Ranma. She dismissed it though, because she thought she was special to him. But it seemed like she had been wrong. Was she just another conquest to him? Did he only see her as someone to sleep with? Another girl in his revolving door of fuck buddies?

She scoffed.

Of course he would. What else was he to think but she was just another easy lay when she had thrown herself at him. She was mortified that she hadn't even given a thought to protection. Hadn't even considered he might not have had any.

She felt so stupid.

When it came down to it, she couldn't even be mad at him for what happened. Oh, she was plenty mad at the events and having one of his 'girls' thrown in her face but when she thought back on the incident it was obvious he had no idea Azusa was going to show up when she did and he tried his best to get rid of her.

So the only thing she had to be angry at was that he was seeing Azusa at the same time as her. But did she have the right to be mad at him for that? She could be hurt by it, was hurt by it, but it had been their first date; they had made no commitments to each other. No conversation about monogamy. Just because she wasn't seeing anyone else didn't mean he couldn't.

Now where did that leave them?

Would she be okay just being one of who knows how many women he slept with?

No, she wouldn't be. She had never been one for casual sex and even if she were, she wouldn't be with Ranma. She simply cared too much for him. She'd watched her friends settle for physical relationships with men they cared about, knowing that those guys only wanted sex from them. But each one held out hope that it would turn into something more. That those guys would somehow grow attached to them, would begin to care about them. But it never happened. She had watched friend after friend being strung along for way too long before they realized how pointless their relationships were. Each one had been devastated by it.

She just couldn't do that to herself. It was better to be hurt now, when it wasn't as painful to break things off. She was just sad that something that had barely started could be over so quickly.

* * *

Ranma looked at his phone, willing it to ring, but it stayed stubbornly quiet. His thumbs hovered over the electronic keypad before he eventually put it down. He had no idea what to say that he hadn't already. Even if he did, she obviously didn't want to talk to him and he didn't want to be one of those guys who couldn't take a hint.

No matter how much it bothered him.

He decided to just go to bed. He would have to try to explain things to her and hope that she would be willing to listen but ended up waking early after a restless night. The first thing he did was check his phone, sighing in disappointment when he still hadn't heard from Akane, although he wasn't surprised as it was 8 am on a Saturday. He dropped his phone back on his nightstand and laid there staring at the ceiling.

Since he knew it was unlikely that he would fall back asleep with everything going through his mind, he decided to get ready. An hour later and he was sitting on his couch eating a bowl of cereal, mindlessly staring at the TV, when his phone beeped. He grabbed it quickly and sighed in relief when he saw it was a text from Akane.

 _Are you up?_

 _Yeah,_ he typed back quickly _._

Ranma was starting another text, wanting to find out if she was okay when he got her second text.

 _Can I come over? We need to talk._

The pigtailed man groaned at the second sentence. Never before had those words been said – or typed – to a man and meant anything good. But he knew it was unavoidable. He sighed before texting back.

 _Sure. When are you going to come by?_

He sat there looking at his phone, waiting for another text when he heard a knock on his front door. He went to the door, wondering who it could be so early in the morning. He opened it and was surprised to see Akane there holding two go cups.

It had been a long night for the blue-haired girl too. She had fallen asleep late and woken up early as her mind refused to turn off. She had gotten up and ready, wanting to deal with the situation sooner rather than later. It was only after she knocked on his front door, that it dawned on her that he might not have been alone.

"Hi," Ranma greeted in surprise.

"Good morning. I'm not…interrupting anything am I?" she asked.

She didn't think that she could take it if it had turned out Azusa had spent the night. While she had already made her decision, him sleeping with the other girl last night would have been a sure sign that he had felt very little for her. Plus she didn't think she could handle another meeting with Azusa without getting violent.

"No. Azusa left shortly after you did. She did not spend the night. Nothing happened." He wanted to make that point crystal clear. "Why don't you come in?"

He followed her to his couch and sat down next to her, leaving an inordinate amount of space between them considering the size of his couch. They sat there awkwardly for a moment before Akane decided to break the silence.

"I don't think we should see each other anymore."

"What? Why?"

He had been afraid of the very thing happening but when she showed up at his door a small ray of hope blossomed in him. He had thought that maybe if he were lucky she would only rant and rave at him. But it seemed his luck had run out. The tight feeling that had been in his chest since last night seemed to intensify.

"Well, I don't date guys who already have girlfriends."

"She's _not_ my girlfriend! She already has a guy!"

"Oh, is that supposed to make things better?" Akane asked scathingly as she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yes! No. I…" he stammered before he paused, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. "Can you give me a second to explain please before you make any decisions?"

Akane frowned. It was on the tip of her tongue to say no just so she could leave and end it quickly. But part of her needed answers.

"Fine. Explain."

"Azusa has a boyfriend, they've been dating for years. But Mikado has wandering eyes and hands. I don't know how many times he's cheated on her through the years. It's always the same. He cheats on her, she breaks up with him, he promises never to do it again, and she takes him back. But before that, when she finds out about his cheating, she breaks up with him and comes over…" he trailed off, not wanting to finish the thought.

"She comes over to have revenge sex with you," Akane said bluntly.

Ranma nodded slowly. It was not something he wanted to admit to her. He had never been ashamed of the arrangement he had with Azusa, they were consenting adults. He cared about her too, as a friend. It was hard not to since she was always so upbeat, even when she was feeling blue. But having to explain the situation to Akane made him feel like what they had been doing was somehow wrong.

"It doesn't mean anything to either of us. She loves Mikado and always takes him back, we both know that. I haven't seen her or thought about her in months."

Akane remained silent as she thought over the information. It confirmed her suspicions that Ranma had no clue that Azusa was going to show up last night and it made her feel slightly better that he hadn't seen her in months. It meant that he hadn't had sex with her while they were getting to know each other. The story also explained why the girl looked so sad last night, especially considering what she had come over for. Part of her felt bad for the Azusa.

Azusa...

Why did the name sound familiar? Now that she thought about it, the girl looked familiar too.

Azusa…

Mikado…

"Azusa Shiatori and Mikado Sanzenin?" she wondered out loud.

"Yeah, that's them," Ranma answered, thinking her question was directed at him.

"The Golden Pair? That Azusa and Mikado? Hopefuls for the next Olympics?"

"Yeah," he said wearily. He had no idea she followed figure skating.

Ranma ran a hand over his face before stuffing his hands in his pockets. He watched the blue-haired girl carefully. She seemed to be less angry but she was far from calm.

Akane let that bit of information sink in. She found it surreal that she had been felt up by one of the most famous figure skaters in all of Japan. She shook her head to try to clear it. That wasn't what she should be focused on at the moment. She took a moment to refocus her thoughts. The situation, while looking better had not really changed.

"Thank you for telling me everything but I still don't think we should see each other anymore."

"Why? I don't understand. I told you that I had no idea that Azusa was going to be here and I got rid of her as soon as I could."

"I know but I'm not the type of person who is going to be okay with you slipping from my bed into someone else's. I'm not okay with casual sex or being just another girl for you to sleep with."

"Is that what you think? That I'm just looking to get into your pants?" he demanded hotly.

"Can you blame me?"

"Yeah, I can. I thought you knew me better than that."

"So you're telling me you've never had friends with benefits situation with anyone? Because that sounds exactly like what you had with Azusa. Or that you've never slept with two different women at the same time, and I don't mean a threesome."

"So what are you saying? Are you asking me for…some kind of commitment?"

"No! We've only had one date. But I do not play well with others and I don't share. Which is why I think it's better that we just end things now."

Ranma was about to retort but he knew he really couldn't say much. She was right of course. Most of his relationships were friends with benefits situations. There were times that he had more than one woman at a time he had on tap for booty calls, since the girls never meant much to him.

For the second time that night he grew uncomfortable with how he had been living his life. He had not seen any harm in the way he had acted as he had - for the most part - been honest with his intentions with women. There were a few sticky situations he had gotten himself into when he was younger, when he hadn't been as forthright with the girls as he was now, but he was young and he learned from those mistakes. So why was he feeling so guilty now?

It didn't take too long for him to realize that it was because of Akane. He didn't want her thinking badly of him. He didn't want her to judge him because of his past but it seemed too late for that. Here she was, ready to break things off with him because she couldn't trust his intentions.

He took a deep breath as he tried to calm down. Being defensive or getting into an argument wasn't going to help the situation, it was bad enough already. He needed to be honest with her and explain the situation but he also need to do it in a way that assured her that he cared for her. If he didn't then it really could be over and he didn't know if he could live with that.

"Yes, you're right. I have had those types of relationships in the past. But this," he gestured to her and back to him, "is different."

"Why?"

"Because of you. I've never really felt… _this_ for anyone before."

Which was both exciting and scary for the pig-tailed man.

"You need to know that I haven't been with anyone since I met you, before that really."

Shampoo had been the last woman he had been with and she had turned out to be a complete psycho that he had been worried about getting involved with anyone else in fear that they too would turn out to be just as obsessed as her. The night he had met Akane, he had been so excited to go clubbing with his friends because he was hoping to meet someone. Enough time had passed so what happened with Shampoo wasn't so fresh on his mind and frankly he really needed to get laid. He had in fact gotten the number of a really hot chick he had every intention of calling but then he kept being thrown into situations with Akane. The more he got to know her, the more he thought about her. Then they had that amazing kiss and he couldn't get her out of his mind. So he totally forgot about the chick from the club. He hadn't given any other girl more than a passing glance because his mind was full of Akane.

He couldn't tell her that though as it was too soon for that sort of admission. Plus it was just too embarrassing to admit.

He looked at her expectantly, wondering why she still looked so upset before it clicked.

"You don't believe me, do you?" he asked disappointedly.

Akane was so conflicted. He had said all the right things. Destroyed every argument she had against them continuing to date. Confirmed that he too felt something special between them. This was the Ranma that she had gotten to know, the one who was honest and sincere, the one she cared about.

But she couldn't help but wonder how much of it was true. The incident from last night was still fresh in her mind, her emotions still so raw.

"I _want_ to believe you. I do. It's just…" She took a deep breath. "It's weird isn't it, that we've had this much trouble already? From that first really bad date to the second date that somehow ended up even worse? It kind of feels like a sign or something that we shouldn't be together," she finished softly.

"I guess you could look at it like that but I don't. Nothing worth having is easy and I think this could be worth it." He let that sink in a moment before he added, "I know that you're not sure because you think I only want to fuck you, so let's just take sex off the table."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"We'll slow things down. Date and get to know each other. We won't have sex until it's right; not until you're sure that I want more from this relationship than just sex."

"You're going to be okay with that?" she asked incredulously.

"Yeah because _you_ are worth it," he replied sincerely, even though it embarrassed him to admit such a sentiment out loud.

"But what about other girls?"

"What about them?"

"I mean just because you haven't been with anyone since we met doesn't mean…"

"I meant what I said. I haven't been with anyone else and I don't want to be. I'm not going risk this just to get my rocks off."

"And will I have to expect any more unannounced visitors when I'm over?"

"No. I made it clear to Azusa last night that she shouldn't come over anymore."

"But is Azusa…?"

"Akane," he said sharply. "Believe me when I say you won't have to deal with anything like that again."

It was the truth. While he had several girls who texted him randomly for booty calls, Azusa was the only one who would come over without letting him know and that was because she was drunk. Should one of the other girl's text him, he would tell them no and that would be that.

"Okay."

"Okay?" he asked hopefully.

"Yeah. I just need some time to think about things," she said as she got up to leave.

While she was no longer angry, she was far from feeling good about the situation. But Ranma had made her feel better about the entire situation and his confession and willingness to take things slow made her think he was being honest. But after the tumultuous night she had, she just couldn't make a decision so lightly.

"Sure," he said as he walked her to the door, which he opened for her.

"Bye, Ranma."

"See ya."

Ranma's wanted to ask her to stay so they could figure things out once and for all but he knew better. She said she needed time so he would give it to her, if he pushed the issue now, he could push her in the other direction. For now, he could only cling to the fact that she hadn't shut him down completely. There was a spark of hope that they still had a chance.

* * *

 **A/N:** To the guest reviewer who said my characters don't really resemble R &A anymore, thank you for the honest criticism. I can see why you feel that way. I will say that it's hard to keep them IC given that the characters not only have different backgrounds but they are older as well. I wanted to write a sexier story and don't like the idea of doing that with teenagers. I have tried to keep some of the core personality traits of all the characters while making them modern and more relateable. All except for Ranko, who is part original character and a blend of how Ranma acted in his female form. I'm glad you are still enjoying the story despite the OOCness.

I've always thought that Azusa was secretly in love with Mikado and only collected 'cute' things as a way to get his attention as he's so busy trying to kiss other girls. In any universe though, Mikado is a hopeless player. Shout out to **Angela Jewell** and **sjofn** for guessing it was Azusa at the door. For those of you who read the chapter when it was first posted, I changed the word 'baby' to 'cutie' after publishing. It was a minor hint but a hint nonetheless.

The last chapter set up a couple of conversations Ranma and Akane really needed to have about monogamy and how serious they are about each other.

Thanks **alwaysZutarian** for your help and support! This chapter wouldn't be nearly as good without her help.

Sorry this took so long to get out but I had to rewrite a couple of scenes as I wasn't happy with it and I got busy with life. With the holidays coming updates may take a little while longer.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone living in the U.S.!

Longest author's note ever! Sorry, I really do try to keep them short.


	13. Omake: Tunnel of Lost Love

**Omake: Tunnel of Lost Love**

This omake is dedicated to **Flameraven** who planted this plot bunny (but seriously there is no plot) in my head when he suggested it in a review. **Flameraven** , Please consider this your real birthday gift. Happy belated birthday and all that jazz. I hope you enjoy this.

 **Warning:** Lime flavored shenanigans below.

* * *

Dressed in a traditional yukata and geta sandals, Ukyo Kuonji's right had was entwined with her boyfriend's as they strolled the Tenabata festival. She had a rare Sunday off, thanks to a lot of planning and switching shifts, but it was worth it if she got to spend an entire day with Ryoga. So far, they had gone on a Ferris wheel, played some carnival games, and eaten a lot of delicious street food. She had enjoyed everything but by far the best part of the day had been their stop by the bamboo seller.

After being beckoned by a salesman, they walked over curiously, not knowing what to expect. When the salesman began to tell them about the legendary promise that any couple who wrote their names on parchment and placed them on bamboo stems were destined to be married, she began to worry. While she had the feeling that Ryoga could be _the one_ , they hadn't been dating for very long. They hadn't even said those three little words to each other yet. That wasn't to say she was confused about her feelings, she had fallen fast and fallen hard for the man. It wasn't hard when he was so genuinely sweet and affectionate. He treated her like a princess, was always a gentleman but at the same time put her in her place when she needed it.

She tried to pull him away subtly, not wanting the issue of marriage to make their otherwise nice day awkward. Ryoga, though, refused to move and only listened to the man politely before pulling out his wallet and paying for a stem and parchment. He moved to a side table and she goggled a bit as she watched him bend over and write his name down the parchment before sticking it to a leaf with a golden star shaped sticker.

When he was done, Ryoga turned to his date and smiled at the confusion on her face. It had been on his mind to tell her how he felt about her, how he felt so much for her. But every time he tried to, he faltered. Not because he was unsure of his feelings but because he didn't know how to say it. He was never good with words and hoped he wouldn't screw this up.

"You don't have to write yours down if you don't want, I'll understand. I just want you to know where I stand."

It was such a simple statement. A promise of a future together without a declaration. Without pressure. Given so freely and honestly that her heart seemed to swell in her chest and her eyes watered with happiness. But she blinked those back because that would just be embarrassing. She didn't hesitate to write her name on the other piece of parchment before putting it next to his.

Ukyo looked down to the bamboo that she held in her left hand and couldn't help the wide grin that spread over her face. She looked over and eyed him appreciatively. He was never one to dress up, his clothes always simple, but damn if he didn't look good. His jeans just tight enough to mold against that amazing ass. The tight fitting t-shirt that showed off those musclular arms that could lift her up so easily. Those firm lips that she loved to kiss, not to mention how he used that talented tongue to please her. She was definitely going to have to show him her appreciation when they got back to her place later but she looked away, realizing that she was getting way too turned on. If she didn't stop looking at his Adonis -like body, she wouldn't be able to wait until later.

"You wanna go in?" Ryoga asked, pulling her out of her lustful thoughts.

Ukyo looked up to see they were in front of what looked like a haunted house called the Tunnel of Love and wrinkled her nose. She hated haunted houses. She didn't know why anyone got scared in those things, they were always filled with cheesy- looking people popping out at random times.

Mistaking her disinterest for wariness, the fanged man said, "Don't worry, I'll be there if you get scared."

It was on the tip of her tongue to laugh at the very idea when she realized that it would be dark in there. She could use being scared as an excuse to cling onto him and tease him in the process. She loved getting him worked up early in their date because she knew from experience that by the time they were alone he would take her as soon as they got in the door. She loved it when he was forceful with her. Damn, she was getting wet just thinking about it.

Plus, it wouldn't hurt to pretend to be scared. From other guys she had dated, she knew it could get frustrating for a guy when they dated a woman as independent as her. So once in a while, she would ask Ryoga for help doing things that she could do for herself, usually lifting something heavy. It would make him feel manly to get to 'protect' her from all the big scary monsters. His ego would be stroked while she was busy stroking something else.

She bit her lip, and looked up at him with puppy dog eyes.

"You promise you won't leave me?"

"Of course not," he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"Well, as long as you hold me close," she said hesitantly. _God, I hope I'm not laying it on too thick,_ she thought.

Ryoga's chest puffed out a little as he led them inside. It wasn't often that his girlfriend needed him for anything but when she did, it always made him feel good that she knew she could rely on him, even if it was only to move furniture.

As soon as they passed through the flap, it turned almost pitch black, there was just enough light to illuminate a narrow hallway ahead

"I don't think we can walk in side by side."

"Okay, but you go first, okay?"

"Sure," he said, starting forward.

Ryoga only paused briefly as Ukyo grabbed his upper arm and wrapped herself around it. He couldn't help but grin at the way she clung to him. He groaned a little as he felt her breasts rub against him. The chef smiled glad that for the darkness that hid her mischievous grin.

They entered a dark room with colorful polka dots all over the wall. Ukyo moved to stand next to Ryoga as they looked around curiously. The room seemed completely empty. Suddenly they both turned, seeing something move in their peripheral vision. They jumped suddenly when a person, dressed in all black littered with polka dots, suddenly screamed 'boo' in front of them. After her heart beat calmed a bit, she had to admit it was an impressive way to blend into the background.

Ryoga chuckled, trying to hide his surprise. He may have yelped a little but thought he covered it up well. He grabbed Ukyo's hand and squeezed it firmly, trying to give her some comfort since she jumped a little.

They exited the room and entered another hallway. As they made their way through, little puffs of air shot out at them, brushing against the backs of their necks. They entered another room, with a single casket on top of a cabinet in the middle of the room. They walked forward and Ukyo stopped right in front of the casket. Ryoga wrapped his arms around her from behind and pulled her close to him. They both looked down at the 'corpse' in the casket, waiting for it to jump out at them.

"You think he's gonna do anything?" the fanged man asked.

"No idea," the chef answered.

She took the opportunity to rub her behind against him and heard him groan a little in her ear. They both jumped a moment later when they felt something grab their ankles. They looked down to see hands grasping at them.

They went through another hallway, this time weaving their way through bloodied limbs hanging from the ceiling with the occasional hand or foot falling in front of them. They entered a third room full of mannequins, some of them missing arms, some missing legs, all of them laying in different positions around the room. All of the mannequins had blood splattered over them, some with knives sticking out of them. They weaved their way through the room when suddenly a mannequin moved, pulling a knife from its chest and screaming loudly in pain. They both flinched in surprise.

When they reached the next hallway, Ukyo threw herself into his arms. Ryoga put his arms around her protectively as he felt her shivering in fear. He ran his hands up and down her back in comfort. He began to worry when her shaking only increased.

"Shh…it's okay," he murmured into her ear.

This haunted house turned out to be more fun than she expected and she forgot how much she enjoyed being scared. Ukyo burrowed herself against him because she didn't want him to see her laughing, the look on Ryoga's face in the last room had been priceless. As much as she tried, though, she couldn't stop the laughter from bubbling forward. Ryoga pulled back, confused at her response.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"Oh, you should have seen your face! I thought your eyes were going to pop out of your head!"

"You weren't scared?" The chef only shook her head in response. "Have you been scared at all? You haven't, have you?"

"No, sorry."

"Then why were you acting like you were?"

The chef shrugged before saying, "It was a good excuse to stay close to you."

"You mean it was a good excuse to tease me."

"Maybe," she said in an innocent tone that did not fool him at all.

Ryoga grabbed her arm and pulled her towards a corner where they couldn't be seen. He pinned her to the wall, holding her arms over her head, and pushed his body flush to hers. He ran his finger over her lip instead, trailing it down her face and neck. He turned his hand and ran the knuckles between the generous swell of her breast, down her belly and around to her ass. He squeezed her firmly as he used his thigh to rub against her crotch. He smirked when she swallowed hard. She wasn't the only one who could tease.

"You know what happens when you're naughty. I'm going to have to punish you," he whispered hoarsely in her ear.

Oh how she really wished he would, right then and there.

He lowered his mouth to hers, slowly. The anticipation only turned her on more and she ground herself against him.

Suddenly a light flashed brightly in their faces, causing them to pull apart. They both blinked rapidly and put their hands over their eyes to see a shadow of a man holding a flashlight on them.

"You can't do that here; this is a family establishment."

They both blushed furiously and looked down in embarrassment at being caught.

"I'm going to ask you to leave. Follow me," the unknown man said as he pulled back a curtain and escorted them out through the back. He shut the door behind him, muttering about damned horny teenagers.

Outside, they looked at each other still red in embarrassment before they broke out in laughter.

"So, what do you want to do now?" Ukyo asked as they walked away holding hands.

They didn't need to address what happened in the haunted house as they both knew they would just pick up where they left off later.

"Why don't we try some more games? There is a coin toss game right over here," he said and pointed ahead of him. "Which prize do you want?" he asked her as they got to the booth.

"Oh! How about that little cute black pig?" she said, pointing to the bottom.

She ended up naming him Little Ryoga

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm really enjoying the dynamic between Ukyo and Ryoga in this story; they are just so fun to write. When Flameraven originally asked what would happen if this pair went into the tunnel of lost love all I could think of was them making the best use of a dark space; they're just sexy like that.

Sorry if anyone is disappointed this isn't an update of the story, we will be back on track next chapter, I promise.

Thanks again, **alwaysZutarian** for your help!


	14. Chapter 14

It had been over a day and Ranma still hadn't heard hide or hair from Akane. It shouldn't have bothered him, as it had only been a day but the more time passed, the more nervous he got. He was checking his phone so often he felt like a teenage girl. He finally got a text from her a little after lunch.

 _Coffee?_

 _Yes. Where? When?_ he replied quickly.

He should have been embarrassed about his eagerness but he honestly didn't give a fuck, he wasn't going to play games with Akane.

They arranged to meet at a small café near her home. He changed quickly from his sweatpants into some jeans and white polo before heading out. When he arrived at the café he looked around quickly, noting she wasn't there. He ordered and found a small square table in a quiet corner, and by the time the waitress brought the coffee and a couple of warm pastries over, she had come in.

He stood up to signal her to his location and had a moment to admire how cute she looked in a simple pair of jeans and scoop neck tank top. He went to give her a hug in greeting but pulled back quickly, unsure if she would be receptive to such a friendly gesture, and ended up waving awkwardly before sticking his hands in his pockets.

"Hi, 'Kane."

"Hi."

"I ordered you a latte," he said, gesturing to the two cups on the center of the table.

"Thanks," she said with a smile.

He sat down and saw it as a good sign that she chose to sit on the empty chair next to him instead of across the table. Ranma put his right hand under the table and drummed his fingers on his thigh nervously. Now that she was here, he was somehow even more nervous.

Akane reached for her coffee, cupping the large mug with both hands as she used the mug to warm them up before taking a small sip and smiling at the faint taste of vanilla. It seemed he remembered exactly how she liked her coffee.

"So, I've been giving it a lot of thought," she began without preamble, they both knew why they were there and it seemed silly to pussyfoot around the issue. "I'm willing to give this a try if you are."

Ranma let out the breath he didn't even realize he was holding and his entire body seemed to relax, relieved that things were getting back on track.

"I'm definitely willing."

"Just promise me one thing, okay?"

"What?"

"That if you ever decide this isn't working out, you get bored of being with me, or you're just really into someone else, whatever, you'd be honest and tell me about it. I can deal with all that but not finding out you were with someone behind my back."

"Okay."

It was an easy promise to make. While he knew he had many faults, cheating and lying weren't on the list. More importantly, he respected Akane and wouldn't do anything to purposefully hurt her. Sure he was a horny bastard but that didn't mean he made decisions with his dick.

"Then we can move on from here and start fresh. I'm going to try to not let what happened affect how I act towards you. You asked for my trust and I'm going to give it to you."

"And I'll do my best to deserve it."

He meant every word. He wasn't the kind of man to make promises lightly, so when he did, he kept them. The pig-tailed man relaxed in his chair and picked up his coffee for the first time.

"When was the last time you were checked for STDs?"

Ranma choked on his coffee, some of it spewing between his lips in surprise. He coughed roughly and pounded his chest with his fist. Once he was breathing normally again, he picked up a napkin and dabbed at his no longer white shirt. He didn't really like it anyways.

Akane pursed her lips in amusement. Maybe she should have waited until he was done taking a sip of his drink to ask the question.

"Huh?" the pigtailed man asked intelligently as he looked up.

"STDs, when was the last time you got checked for them?"

Hearing it a second time didn't make it easier for Ranma to process.

Akane herself was trying not to squirm. Talking about sexual history and STDs was always awkward but something that had to be done. Seeing that he was still a little shocked at the turn of conversation, she decided it would be best for her to continue.

"I'm on the pill, so pregnancy won't be an issue but the pill doesn't protect from STDs. The last time I was checked everything came back negative. How about you?"

It was something that she had thought a lot about over the last day. She knew of his reputation and could only imagine how many women he had been with, and though she was curious, she had no real desire to know the specifics. Nothing good could come from it. She was serious about trying to not let Azusa's intrusion on their last date make her paranoid or suspicious of him, she would be a fool to completely ignore his past and the possible ramifications of it.

Ranma cleared his throat as he realized that Akane wasn't going to let this go until she got an answer.

"The last time I checked I was fine, besides I use condoms."

He did for multiple reasons. First was to keep himself safe. The girls he had been with seemed to take sex as casually as he did. Some had no concerns about asking him to use protection while others didn't seem to care if he used any at all. If they were like that with him, it made him wonder if they ever used protection. For the girls he had longer 'relationships' with he worried about pregnancy. There were some, like Shampoo, who insisted they were on the pill but he worried they weren't telling the truth so he didn't take the risk. With as stalkerish as she turned out to be, he wouldn't have put it past her to try to trap him by getting pregnant.

"Every time? There hasn't been once when you forgot it?"

He wanted to say 'yes, every time' but couldn't. There had been a few nights when he had been drunk and had forgotten. He realized that it had been a long time since he had a blood test. Once again, he was feeling uncomfortable about his past actions. Even though he had really not done anything wrong, he just didn't want to talk to her about the other women he had been with. It just felt wrong.

He certainly had no desire to hear details about her sexual history. She obviously wasn't a virgin and that was pretty much all he needed to know. He didn't care how many men she'd been with.

Feeling that Ranma was hesitant to talk about it, Akane decided to take a different approach that she hoped would get him to agree to what she wanted. She scooted her chair in a little and crossed her legs, allowing her calf to brush slowly against his. She placed her forearm on the table and leaned on it, knowing the way her breasts would look in that position.

The pigtailed man was shaken from his thoughts by the brush against his leg. He looked up as she leaned closer to him, his eyes widened fractionally as he noticed the now ample cleavage suddenly on display. He tried to keep his eyes on her face. He really did. But he couldn't help but glance down at the tops of the creamy white breasts. Damn she had some nice tits. He shook his head quickly, knowing that he was crossing the line between looking and leering, so he moved his gaze to her face. He gulped at the way she was looking at him through hooded lashes, a small catlike smile on her face. She reached out and traced her finger against the back of his hand.

"Ranma," she said, drawing out his name in a low husky voice that he had never heard before that seemed to shoot straight to his groin. Suddenly everything else in the room faded and all he could see was her.

Akane leaned in a little more and he moved towards her automatically, like a magnet. She moved her free hand under the table and put it on his knee.

"I like sex."

She tilted her head to the side and nibbled on her bottom lip.

"A lot."

He leaned in a little more, suddenly unwilling to miss anything she had to say.

She inched her hand up his thigh, running her fingers over his leg in slow circular motions.

"There are times when things get… _intense_ and I don't want to stop just to grab a condom."

She moved her hand up a little more. He gulped. While her palms were placed mid-thigh, the tips of her fingers were dangerously high. If she moved her hand up just a little more she would find out exactly how much she was affecting him.

"Or stop altogether because we don't have one."

She squeezed his muscular thigh firmly, rubbing it gently.

"Do you?"

His brain seemed to go on the fritz and he only shook his head slightly in response.

"Good."

She patted his thigh before pulling her hand away and leaning back onto the chair.

"So, we'll both get tested, so when we do decide to have sex, we know we won't have anything to worry about," she said in a cheery voice.

Akane felt a little bad teasing him like that, especially since they had decided to wait to have sex until _she_ felt more secure of his feelings. But this needed to be addressed so she had to use whatever means were at her disposal. And the plan worked. It was just a side benefit that she also felt a bit smug, it felt good to feel wanted.

Ranma blinked at the sudden change in mood but nodded nonetheless. Whatever spell she had cast on him was broken. He was a little bit embarrassed where his thoughts had strayed while sitting across from her in a coffee shop. He couldn't believe how quickly she changed from her normal persona to a vixen and back again. She had a bright smile on her face and was acting like she didn't just give him a boner. He could have gotten upset but only laughed at himself over how easily she played him.

Who knew she could be a total tease? He only hoped he would reap the benefits when the time was right. He fully planned to keep his word, sex would be off the table until she was sure of his intentions towards her. In the meantime, she wasn't the only one who could tease. He would make it hard for her. As hard as he was at the moment. One thing for sure, she was definitely keeping him on his toes.

He would take the blood test like she suggested. She was right, it would be better for both of them to find out if either of them had STDs. He had never considered going bareback with someone on purpose before but now that she proposed it, he couldn't get the idea out of his mind. With her it wasn't a scary prospect. Unlike the other girls that he had sex with, he knew he could trust Akane wouldn't to try to 'trap' him with a pregnancy or sleep around on him

He had never been exclusive with anyone before since he never really cared if the girls he'd slept with were sleeping with other people at the same time. But just the idea of Akane with someone else put his teeth on edge. Surprised by the sudden spurt of anger, he brushed it off as a ridiculous feeling. Akane just wasn't the type of person to do something like that.

Despite the awkward start to the conversation, he was glad she had brought the subject up. It was a good sign that she really was going all in, like he was. She was already planning ahead so when they finally did have sex they could do so without worry. When the time was right, of course. Which he couldn't help but hope was sooner rather than later.

* * *

Ranma leaned against his headboard, his arms crossed over his chest as he looked blandly at Ranko, who was sitting on his desk chair shaking her head at him, and Ryoga, who was sitting on the floor literally laughing out loud.

"Azusa? Seriously? That airhead? What were you thinking?" Ranko asked in disgust.

She had known the figure skater briefly when she had tried her hand at learning the sport. The brunette seemed to hate her on sight and Ranko always blamed her partner for that. She had always thought that figure skating was a beautiful sport and decided to learn to skate. But the moment she stepped on the ice, she fell and Mikado had come over to help her up, touching her way more than was necessary. He then flirted with her, offering her 'private' lessons. She had tried to move away from the slimy bastard but stumbled again, giving him an excuse to pull her body against his. He bent her over slightly, into an impromptu dip, and to her horror, tried to kiss her! No longer caring what happened, she pushed him back, causing the skater to lose his grip and they both went tumbling to the icy floor. Not willing to put herself in his clutches, literally, she crawled to the wall and pulled herself up. As she glared at him, the male skater laughed the incident off.

Azusa had witnessed the entire spectacle and mean girled her. She mocked Ranko's efforts to try gain her footing and laughed loudly with her friends every time the redhead fell on her ass. Which was a lot. As athletic as the redhead was, she just couldn't get her balance on the ice. The redhead had always suspected the other girl of being jealous and her brother's story confirmed her suspicions. Ranko scoffed. She had never wanted that pervert's attention in the first place.

She despised the figure skater and the feeling was mutual.

"Obviously he wasn't. Do you think they spent any time talking? You've seen her perform, she's really flexible, which he probably enjoyed," Ryoga said from the floor.

"Men," Ranko spat out and threw a book at her brother.

"What did I do? He's the one who said it," Ranma said as he dodged the book.

"Yeah but he's not wrong, is he? You're probably thinking the same thing."

The pig-tailed man wisely remained silent on the matter but he had to admit his best friend was right. Azusa _was_ very bendy and they really didn't talk much, her mouth had always been busy doing other things.

Ranko frowned more deeply at his silence. Then unbidden – and certainly unwanted – an image of her brother and the figure skater in that complicated position she saw in the kama sutra book entered her mind. She shook her head violently as she pulled a face. She wished she could scrub her brain. This was all Ryoga's fault for putting that picture in her mind. She narrowed her eyes and watched as the fanged-man only laughed harder. He didn't see the stress ball she aimed at him until it smacked him on the forehead.

"Oww," Ryoga whined.

Ranko only rolled her eyes.

"Don't be a wuss."

She turned to her brother.

"I didn't know you kept in contact with her," she said suspiciously.

"I didn't." When Ranko only looked at him with a raised eyebrow he added, "I ran into her at a bar one night. She recognized me and we started talking and one thing led to another."

She wanted to give him more shit about Azusa but what was done was done. Plus she didn't want any more images in her head. Normally Ranma wouldn't discuss these things with her but she had walked into his room and saw Ryoga laughing. When she asked what was so funny, the fanged-man had told her everything over her brother's objections.

"You're lucky Akane is forgiving, you've screwed up twice now…"

"But I didn't do anything! This wasn't my fault!" Ranma said defensively.

"You didn't ask Azusa over but let's not pretend you're the victim or totally innocent here, okay?" Ranko said with a glare.

The pigtailed-man had come to the same conclusion over the last couple of days, so he only sighed deeply.

"As I was saying, you better make sure you don't screw up a third time or that will probably be the last time," she said in warning.

She had no idea how the blue-haired girl got past the incident. Personally, she didn't think she could let something like that go. She was on Akane's side on this one, brother or not.

"Seriously, dude. You're lucky she gave you a second chance to begin with. I have no idea why she would though. She's way too good for you."

"Agreed," Ranko said dryly.

Ranma wondered why he put up with those two. They had no faith in him sometimes.

"I'm not a fucking idiot, okay? I'm not gonna screw it up."

The two only looked at him doubtfully.

Yup, no faith at all. Those fuckers.

* * *

"Let me get this straight, she came in dressed like some cheesy porn star, glomped on Ranma, felt you up, and then asked if you wanted a three-way as casually as if she were asking if you want milk or sugar with your coffee," Ukyo said.

"That about sums it up," Akane said with a nod.

"Exactly how many teeth was the skank missing when she left?"

Akane smiled. One of the best things about having good friends was them always having your back and getting pissed off for you.

"None. I was too surprised to really know how to react and well, I kinda felt bad for her. I mean a little, you know before she groped me, I could tell something was wrong with her. And after Ranma told me about her boyfriend, well…" she trailed off and shrugged her shoulders.

"You're too nice and forgiving. If it were me, I would have gotten at least one punch in. Ryoga better hope I never find myself into a situation like that, or I'd kick his balls so hard he'd be singing soprano for the rest of his life."

"Trust me, I had the same urge."

"Then why didn't you?"

"I needed to get out of there more."

Ukyo patted her friend on the shoulder supportively.

"Look, I like Ranma and all that but I love you, are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Honestly, I don't know. A small part of me thinks that it's a horrible idea and I am just setting myself up to be hurt. But…" She ran her hands through her hair. "When we are alone or just with our group, he doesn't act like a manwhore. I like spending time with him and I dunno...I've never really felt this attraction and connection to anyone like this before. When it comes to it, I would regret it more if I didn't give it a shot."

The chef nodded in understanding. She knew a bit more about Ranma's past than Akane did but all through stories she'd heard from Ryoga and she didn't know how much of it was exaggerated. If she had thought that the male Saotome had only wanted to get her best-friend in bed, she would have done everything in her power to get between the two. But she was a good judge of character and having observed them together, it was obvious how much he cared for her.

"Okay, I just don't want him to hurt you again."

"I'll be careful and we're going to take things slow and get to know each other better."

"Good. But if he screws up again, he better hope he's wearing a cup the next time I see him."

Akane smiled. She really did have the best friends.

* * *

 **A/N:** This sex conversation was supposed to happen last chapter but it just didn't work so I moved it. Sex is easy to do but often hard to talk about. **PSA:** Use protection, talk to your partners about STDs, keep yourself and them safe.

I hope you like the new chapter. It's a little shorter than the others but it felt like a natural place to stop.

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope all you get everything you want and nothing you deserve. On the top of my wish list are reviews, so if you wanna give me a present, you know what to do! For those who don't celebrate Christmas, I hope you had a Happy Hanukkah, a Joyous Kwanzaa and for everyone else, Happy Festivus!

Thanks **alwaysZutarian** for all your wonderful suggestions.


	15. Chapter 15

Ranma couldn't believe he had a third wheel – in the form of one sarcastic red head - on his third first date with Akane.

Okay, so maybe it really wasn't a date as they were just hanging out.

And technically, he guessed _he_ was the third wheel as he was the one tagging along on their plans. But he was gonna count it as one anyways as he couldn't have two such horribly bad dates to his name.

Even if the first one was completely his fault.

It had been a couple days since their conversation at the coffee shop and it was the first time they both had time to get together. Ranma had asked her to go out to dinner, but since Akane already had plans with Ranko and was rather busy for the rest of the week, he decided to come along. It wasn't ideal but he would take what he could get.

Thankfully, both girls liked action movies so he wasn't stuck watching some lame ass chick flick. He paid for their tickets and they queued for the concession stand.

Akane couldn't help but goggle at the amount of snacks the Saotome siblings had bought for a two hour movie. Ranko had brought a large handbag she used to sneak in gummies, red vines, M&Ms, cookies, and boxes of Pocky. Of course they couldn't be expected to share, so there were two servings of each snack item. Not to mention the large ICEEs and large popcorn they had bought to share amongst the three of them. She couldn't help marvel at the metabolism of the red-head and be a little envious of it.

Ranko had taken the lead when they had entered the stadium seating theatre and chose the middle front row seats, something Akane appreciated as it allowed her to put her feet up on the metal bars in front of her. She settled herself between the two siblings and pulled out her phone to put it on silent.

As they sat, Ranma put his drink into one cup holder and the candies his sister handed to him on his lap before lifting the divider and wrapping his arm around Akane's shoulder. It only took a second before he was pelted in the head with a small piece of chocolate. He leaned forward and glared at his sister, who only narrowed her eyes at him before she pulled out another piece and threatened him with it and nodded at his arm meaningfully.

With a sigh he removed his arm. Ranko had only allowed him to join them if he had promised not to act all "gross" with Akane in front of her. While his sister wholeheartedly approved of and supported their relationship, she refused to be subjected to their "lovey dovey" antics and it seemed that simple act of affection had crossed a line. Not one to be easily deterred he reached over and put his hand on the blue-haired girl's knee, which was blocked from his sister's sight by the big tub of popcorn Akane was holding on her lap so the three of them could share.

He once again thanked the heavens for the short skirt that the youngest Tendo had worn that day. Not only did it make her ass look fantastic, but it allowed him access to the legs he had been staring at all day. He only moved his hand to open a new snack box and if he moved it up slightly as the movie progressed, she didn't seem to mind.

Akane had caught the entire exchange between the siblings – it was hard to ignore a piece of candy flying by your face – and chose to ignore it. The brother and sister had a dynamic that she couldn't really understand having grown up with only sisters. She felt it best to let them figure out their differences themselves. She was a little disappointed when he moved his arm as she wanted to snuggle into him. It wasn't so bad though when he moved his hand to rest on her leg. It got much better when he moved it up slowly. He occasionally squeezed her thigh sending shivers right through her. His hand inched ever slowly upwards, until he was only inches away from her panties. He rubbed his fingers in small circles against her leg, driving her crazy.

She had never been so turned on while watching buildings being blown up before.

Ranma had a shit eating grin on his face that had nothing to do with the movie. This was going to be an awesome first date.

* * *

"A little to the left…a little more…"

Akane watched Ranma's hand move as instructed.

"Almost…Yes, yes! Right there!"

She bit her lower lip in concentration and anticipation…

"No!" she groaned in disappointment.

He had been so close but his fingers twitched slightly at a critical moment causing the claw to move just a little bit to the left, causing it to miss the cute pink pig plushy by a snout.

"Damn! I almost had it."

"I know. You were so close this time."

"It's okay, let me try again."

"You've been saying that for five minutes already! I really don't need her anyways."

"But I thought you wanted to get P-Chan a little friend?"

Akane laughed and pulled him away before he could spend any more money.

* * *

Ranma was currently was sitting on the couch with his books spread in front of him while Akane was at his kitchen table with her books and laptop. It wasn't romantic - they had barely spoken to each other since she came over - but he was still enjoying himself. It was nice just being in the same room with each other, even if it was doing something as mundane as studying, being comfortable enough with someone that being in silence wasn't awkward.

They had been at this a few hours and he thought that he could use a snack. He put his pencil into the seam of his book, closed it, and put it on the coffee table before standing up and stretching. At the table, Akane saw movement out of the corner of her eye and glanced over to see Ranma standing and stretching. His shirt rose up, exposing his stomach and she couldn't help but admire him. She could see the muscles on the back of his arms flex and the bottom of the shirt lifted enough to give her a glimpse of the bottom of his six pack as his sweats were slung low on his hips.

"Want something to drink?" the pig-tailed man asked as he walked to the fridge.

"Sure."

Her throat did feel really dry all of a sudden.

She had been staring at her screen for so long and she didn't realize how tense she had gotten. She rolled her neck to the left and right and then in a circular motion. She jolted slightly when she felt a pair of cool hands land on her shoulders. She closed her eyes when they began to kneed her tight muscles.

Pulling two cans of soda from the fridge, Ranma walked over to put one in front of Akane when he noticed her stretching her neck. She looked a little tense and almost without thought he began loosening the knots on her shoulders. She was wearing another one of her strappy work-out tanks that was surprisingly sexy and from his angle gave him a great view of the tops of her breasts, that moved up and down with her deep breathing. He worked his hands over her smooth skin and was doing something right as she let out a few moans of pleasure. He wondered if she would be that responsive in bed with his fingers working her. He hit a particularly tight spot on his shoulder and focused his attention there.

"Oh! Yes, right there. Harder," she moaned.

 _Fuck,_ he thought as he closed his eyes. He was glad he was wearing loose pants to hide his sudden hard on.

She knew it, Ranma had the most amazing hands that made her feel so much better. He massaged her for a few more minutes before she stopped him, claiming she would fall asleep if he continued.

"Thank you," she said as she looked up at him.

"No problem," he said quietly as he gazed down at her.

He leaned down and pressed his lips gently on hers. The kiss was comforting but still caused butterflies in her stomach. He pulled back before he brought his right hand to her cheek and ran the back of his index finger slowly down her face. He gave her a small smile then walked back to his couch.

Akane couldn't help but stare at him in wonder before she let out a small sigh. Her chest seemed to swell in happiness and she swore she felt her heart skip a beat. When he winked at her from his seat, she could feel her cheeks heat up. When the pig-tailed man picked up his book and highlighter, she shook her head at her girly response. She smiled to herself and got back to work, a little surprised to see this side of him.

Who knew Ranma Saotome could be sweet?

* * *

It was a Sunday afternoon that found Ranma, Akane, Ryoga, Ukyo, Soun, and Genma in the Tendo Dojo. Ranko had her own team practice for an upcoming meet and would join them for dinner afterwards. Nodoka had stayed home to prepare a family dinner to include the Tendos and both Ryoga and Ukyo. It was a feat that would take her all afternoon, not to mention stretch the capacity of their modest dining room to its limits. She didn't mind the extra work as she loved having a full house, one that was sure to be full of laughter. She had started early because she knew all too well that everyone would come back hungry from their work out, even with the snacks she had sent along. She hummed happily as she worked.

The martial artists had taken the rare afternoon with everyone free to get together for a work out. The patriarchs had lead the group through a series of warm ups, stretches, and katas. As everyone there was at least a black belt, there was no need to teach anything and the fathers had decided to spar instead. It had been a long time for both of them and they were happy to have a peer to fight with. The 'children' watched as Soun and Genma had the first match. Ranma had begrudgingly acknowledged that his dad was still pretty good. The pig-tailed man had surpassed his father a few years ago, something that made the Satome patriarch proud even though he was loathe to admit it; the boy had a big enough head as it was. It wasn't a surprise that Genma won, as it was obvious he was more skilled.

Ranma and Ryoga sat watching the girls as they went to the middle of the dojo, while the patriarchs sat watching on the opposite side of the room. Facing off, Akane and Ukyo stood across from each other and got into a ready position.

"Ready, Tendo?" the chef asked arrogantly.

"Always, Kuonji," the blue haired girl answered in a bored tone.

They waited a beat before they both charged forward. Akane threw a punch to Ukyo's chest which was blocked and countered with a jab to the face which was also blocked. What followed was a fast and furious series of attacks and deflections. The way the two stopped suddenly and grinned at each other made it obvious this impressive display was a standard part of their spars. It was the chef who attacked next with a round house kick to blue-haired girl that had her springing back.

"They're not bad," Ranma said.

"Pretty good, if you asked me. About even, too," Ryoga said not taking his eyes off the women.

"But I think 'kane has a slight advantage."

"Really? I was just gonna say the same thing about Ukyo."

"Of course you were. A little biased, aren't you?"

"And you're not?"

Ranma only shrugged. "Damn. They're hot as fuck."

"Yeah they are."

Both men continued to watch the two women as they continued to assault each other. It was a fairly even match and it was obvious that while they were serious, both women were having fun.

"So, how's everything going between you two?" Ryoga asked.

He had been surprised when Akane had forgiven him after the incident with Azusa and hoped that things were finally going well for the two.

"Good."

It was nice to hear as his best-friend had never really paid this much attention to one girl but he was surprisingly being very vague on the subject. He was never one to boast about his conquests but having known him for as long as he had, it was obvious when he had gotten lucky, just like it was that he hadn't.

Ryoga couldn't help but laugh nor could he pass up the opportunity to give him shit.

"I can't believe you hadn't gotten laid yet."

"The fuck? I never said…"

"Oh please! If you had slept with her you wouldn't be looking at her like she were a steak and you hadn't eaten in a month." Hearing no denials, Ryoga chuckled again and shook his head. "It's like karma. You're with the one girl you can't actually have."

"Look, we're just taking it slow, alright. Get to know each other before any of that stuff."

"You mean she wants to make sure you aren't a fuck boy before she lets you in her pants. She is as smart as she seems."

Ranma only shook his head and they fell back into companionable silence as the match continued. The pig-tailed man reflected on the last month. They were having fun together just hanging out and getting to know each other. It was a happy surprise that the more he got to know about her, the _more_ he liked her. That wasn't normally the case. Usually when he got to know someone he was with, he liked them less. They often turned out to be self-centered and vacuous. Despite how it looked, he really did care more about a person's brains than their body.

Akane though, she was amazing. She was funny in a sarcastic way. She cared about people, truly cared about them. She was sweet, until she lost her temper and then she was fiery. He had only seen her angry once, when she saw some teenagers picking on a smaller kid, and boy did she let them have it. He made a mental note that day to stay on her good side. She was surprising clumsy for someone so athletic, something he found adorable since she could laugh at herself over the situations.

It was true, he was a little frustrated. If he jerked off anymore – especially after some of those good night kisses she gave him – he was sure he would start looking like Popeye. Sometimes he thought he wanted to have her more than he wanted his next breath.

But he'd be patient, even if it killed him because he didn't want her to regret anything between them. She was worth it.

* * *

"What do you mean you haven't slept with each other yet?" Ukyo asked in shock.

With the way they two were around each other she just assumed they had already slept together.

"It just hasn't happened!" Akane said defensively.

"Why? I mean do you still not trust him?"

"No, it's not that. I got over that. I know I can trust him. I _do_ trust him."

"Then what going on?" the chef asked as she leaned back against the furo, a frown on her face.

After everyone had finished their matches, the group had enjoyed some snacks before they decided to clean up and head over to dinner. With the Tendo bathroom being so small, it would take too long to accommodate everyone, even if they paired up, so the men decided to go to the public onsen down the street, which would allow everyone time for a nice soak. The girls had decided to stay behind as the furo was plenty big for the both of them and it was easier getting ready at the Tendo home.

"I dunno really. I mean, at first yeah I was just getting to know him better. The more time I spent with him the easier it was to forget about the whole Azusa thing since he was so patient about the lack of sex. He never pushed me to go farther than what I was ready for."

"So you guys didn't do _anything?"_ the chef asked with disbelief.

"I wouldn't say that. I mean we still held hands and made out, but he never really went past that, even though he managed to get me all hot and bothered all the time. I swear he has magic hands, just a touch …" she fanned herself with one hand for effect.

She wasn't exaggerating either. He touched her so casually yet intimately. A simple brush of her cheek or an arm around her shoulder when they walked. It felt so natural, so comfortable, like something he had been doing for ages. Yet there were times he would touch her that felt so new and exciting. The way his hand would trail down her leg was somehow more erotic than some sexual encounters she had.

"So, what's the problem? Why haven't you jumped him yet?"

"I was going to, planning to really but then I got my period."

"Some guys don't mind that," the chef answered, thinking of her own boyfriend.

"I know but not the first time. That'd be just awkward."

"Okay, I'll give you that. But what about since?"

The blue-haired girl fidgeted.

"I don't know really. Every time I thought about it, something seemed to come up. One of us would be busy, or we would end up hanging out with friends. It just never happened."

"He didn't cancel his plans after waiting so long to get laid? I find that hard to believe."

"Well, if he knew, he probably would have…"

"Are you telling me that you haven't told him you're ready?

"What was I gonna do, send him a text that said _Wanna fuck? Great, I'll be over in 10._ I was the one to initiate things the first time and look how that turned out! What happens if something like that happens again?"

Ukyo raised her eyebrow at this. "Seriously?" she finally asked dryly.

"Agh! Okay, I made sleeping together into this _thing_ between us. I totally over analyzed it and now it's this big sexually frustrated elephant in the room! I started to imagine it in my head and plan it; it had to be perfect! And now how can I just bring it up?"

Akane threw her hands up in frustration. Ukyo waited a few moments until her friend's sanity seemed to come back to her.

"Feel better?"

"Actually, I do," the blue-haired girl said as she slumped against the wall.

"Good. You're right, _you_ are making more out of it than there needs to be. Sex is important in a relationship, but it's not the only thing that is. And from the looks of it, you guys are good in those areas. He obviously respects you, you guys have fun together, you're into each other and you trust him, right?"

Akane nodded.

"So just relax and let it happen."

"Thanks, Ucchan."

The blue-haired girl smiled. She knew she had been irrational, knew she was overreacting. It just took talking it out with someone she trusted to get her to really see what mattered.

* * *

"I don't know, Ranma, I've never done this before."

"It's okay. There's always a first time for everything." Sensing her hesitancy, he added, "We don't have to do it if you don't want to but it'll be worth it."

"It's not that I don't want to…I'm just nervous."

"We'll go slow and I'll be behind you the entire time. We can stop whenever you want."

"And what if we make a mess?"

"I'll be honest, it's going to be a little messy, we'll just clean up after."

Akane nodded and gave him a small tentative smile. The pig-tailed man put his hand on her face and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips.

"Don't worry. You'll enjoy this. I promise."

He turned her around and so that her back was pressed against him and she was facing the counter. He wrapped his arms around her waist and bent his head so that he could place a kiss on the nape of her neck. He smiled when he heard her sigh as she relaxed into him. He loved kissing her on her neck, he found out quickly how much she responded to it and ever since, it had been one of his favorite places too. But he loved kissing her anywhere, anytime, and any place really. He didn't think he would ever get tired of it.

"You ready?" he whispered into her ear.

She nodded but he felt her go tense in his arms.

"Just try to relax. This will be better if you relax a little. Remember what I told you about…"

Ranma wasn't able to finish his sentence as he was suddenly covered in powdered sugar. He blinked. There was sugar on his eyelashes. He wiped his eyes quickly and angled his head to look down at the girl still in his arms, who was looking back up at him with wide eyes, her face also covered in the baking ingredient and her mouth formed a surprised O. The pig-tailed man burst into laughter.

"I…I don't know what happened," she said somewhat sheepishly.

"You turned the hand mixer on too high and _before_ you put it into the ingredients. Remember, I said you should put it in the butter _then_ turn it on."

"Oh. Right."

Even through the light dusting of powder he could see her cheeks had turned red. Ranma laughed again. She was so obviously embarrassed. He felt a little sympathy as she really was klutzy and a little hopeless when it came to cooking but she tried so hard. It was adorable really. He grabbed a towel and wiped her face off and brushed off her hair before doing the same for himself.

"Don't worry about it. At least we got the making a mess part out of the way, now you don't have to worry about that anymore."

Akane giggled, relieved that he was making a joke out of the situation and wasn't too upset at the state of his kitchen.

"Should we clean up?"

"Nah, let's wait until we're all done and do one big clean up in case there's another spill." Although part of him wondered how it could get any messier. "You wanna try using the hand mixer again?"

"Sure but do we need to add more sugar first?"

"Since we don't know how much got lost, we can mix what we have first and add more to taste as we go."

Akane nodded and turned towards the bowl. She got a firm grasp on the handle and put the mixer in gently before turning it on the slow setting. She let out a sigh of relief when the mixer began to blend the ingredients together without making a mess.

She really had been nervous as this was her first time baking a cake. She had wanted to do something special for her father's birthday, something she could really surprise him with. And if she could pull it off, it would definitely be a surprise.

The cake itself was in the oven and was already giving off a wonderful scent. She kept turning the oven light on to check its progress, something that Ranma would only chuckle at and suggested they make the buttercream frosting. She really had been nervous since she had never used a hand mixer before but also because she didn't want him to know exactly how big of a screw up she was in the kitchen. He had made her feel confident and comfortable, even after the disaster that was the powdered sugar storm.

It turned out to be easier than she imagined to make the frosting, judging the taste as they went. They had a slight disagreement with the taste as he had more of a sweet tooth than she did and insisted on more sugar. As with everything else lately, they compromised and added only a half cup more sugar than the full cup he insisted on. Once the cake was cool they used some of the frosting as filling between the two layers and applied a thin layer of icing on before putting the cake into the fridge. They took it out a little while later to finish frosting the cake and mixed some blue food coloring into the last bit of buttercream to letter the top.

Akane couldn't help but smile. The cake had turned out pretty well. It definitely looked homemade as she couldn't get the frosting completely smooth but with the writing and sprinkles on top, it looked pretty festive. And she knew it was going to taste great. She clapped her hands together in excitement, stopping herself from jumping up and down in celebration.

She felt an arm go around her shoulder as Ranma pulled her to his side and gave her a squeeze and a kiss on the head.

"It looks great, your pop is gonna love it."

Akane beamed at the praise and bounced on her toes in excitement before she threw her arms around his neck.

"Thank you! I couldn't have done it without you!" she exclaimed before pulling him into a kiss that made his toes curl.

When they pulled apart he said, "No, thank you." Kissed her one more time before pulling back.

They did have a kitchen to clean, after all. And to his chagrin, it had gotten messier.

* * *

 **A/N:** Get your minds outta the gutter people! But not too far put as the next chapter will have a lemon. That being said, it may take a little longer to get done as smut is hard to write. Hopefully it will be worth the wait.

I'm sorry that this chapter took a little longer than normal. The holidays, the kids' schedules, some personal issues, not having a clue what to write for this chapter, and some harsh reviews created a perfect storm of writer's block. Luckily I was finally struck with the inspiration stick that got me over the hump. Since the rest of the chapters have actually been planned they should come out faster.

I'm still relatively knew to writing and am working to develop a thicker skin when it comes to reviews. For those of you who just don't like how I characterize Ranma and/or Akane, this story is probably not for you. Hopefully you find one to your liking.

Thanks for reading and everyone who has given me moral support! It really has meant a lot to me. As always a big thank you goes out to **alwaysZutarian** who rocks!


	16. Chapter 16

**Warning:** There is some sexual content below.

* * *

Ranma shuffled through his mail as he closed his front door behind him with his foot. _Junk, junk, junk,_ he thought with a sigh. He didn't even know why he bothering looking through his mail at all; everything he had to worry about was done electronically now. He paused when he reached a slim white envelope which had the address from the health center at his school in the left corner. He threw the remaining stack on his kitchen table and stared at the piece of mail intently. He knew what it was.

The results of his blood tests.

He wondered why it had taken so long to get to him. He had taken the sample two weeks ago. Since it wasn't a rush, it may have taken longer to process. There was also the possibility that they had a back-up of tests to perform. Then depending on when they mailed it to him, it would take some time for processing, if it was mailed on a Saturday it would have delayed...

Ranma sighed and shook his head. He knew he was stalling but he couldn't get himself to just open the damn thing. Stalling was not going to change what was in this envelope. He steeled himself and ripped open the top and pulled out the piece of paper. His eyes scanned the results and upon reaching the end he let out a sigh of relief.

Now that he knew everything was okay he could admit he had been nervous about the results. The few times that he had been too drunk to wear a condom had been gnawing at him since he had the test taken. Even if he had used protection all the time, he knew nothing was a hundred percent effective.

Smiling, he tossed the letter onto the table and pulled out his phone.

 _Test results came. Everything was negative,_ he texted Akane.

She texted back almost immediately with a thumbs up emoji.

Although the response was simple and to the point, he knew she was happy to hear the news. After their conversation she had immediately went out and had her test taken. When she got the results she had told him that everything was fine on her end and looked at him pointedly. He had withered slightly under her gaze before she changed the subject. To her benefit, she had not brought up the subject again nor had she nagged him about it.

The message was clear, the ball was in his court. If he wanted to hit it raw with her when they started having sex, then he would take the tests. If he didn't, they would stick with condoms.

The choice was his.

It really wasn't a hard decision but he had still put it off out of fear of the unknown. But now that it was done, he felt a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

He didn't think it was possible, but he was now even more excited for their first time together.

* * *

Akane stepped out of Ukyo's closet, her mind processing what she saw. She looked around the small but neat flat with a critical eye, picking up things that had gone unnoticed before. She took the top into the bathroom and handed it to Ukyo, who had been styling her hair in only dark skinny jeans and a bra.

"Here you go," she said, handing her the shirt she had just pulled from the closet.

Ukyo eyed the sequined halter and nodded her head.

"You're right, this would be cute for tonight."

The chef pulled off her bra and pulled on the top before eyeing herself critically. She had honestly forgotten about the shirt as it had been months since she had bought it on a whim, with some nudging on Akane's part. She had to admit, it looked better than she remembered.

The deep blue sequined top clung to her breasts, revealing only the very top of her cleavage. The back though was low and drapey. The chef continued to style her hair, pulling it to over one shoulder to display her back to ultimate effect.

Next to her Akane began to apply her own make-up. It had been the first time that she had come over in weeks and she didn't know how she missed the new additions to the space. When the two friends got together they usually spent time at the Tendo residence because it was a larger space and they usually had it to themselves. But tonight they had decided to get ready at Ukyo's since they were going clubbing and while she wasn't embarrassed by her skimpy clothing, it was another thing all together having her father see her dressed skimpily, regardless of her age.

"So, how is everything going between you and Ryoga?" the youngest Tendo asked casually as she applied her mascara.

The chef shrugged. "Things are good. Really good actually."

"Anything _significant_ you want to tell me about?"

"Not really…"

"Okay…Has he met your parents?"

"Yeah. He's always helping Mom with stuff, so she adores him. Dad likes him, too. He finally has someone to watch sports with."

"Have you met his parents yet?"

"A while ago actually. They're really nice; I get along with his mom really well. His dad makes the corniest jokes that makes Ryoga groan but I think he's funny."

"And do you ever spend the night at his place?"

The chef scrunched her nose in distaste. "No! He lives with his parents; that would be awkward. No matter how well we all get along."

"Does he stay here?"

"Yeah, it's easier that way."

Now applying blush, Akane eyed her friend through the shared mirror.

"How often does he stay here?"

The chef shrugged again as she started her own make-up.

"I dunno really."

"Most nights?"

"I guess."

"And he leaves some stuff here, to make it easier for him?"

"Well sure. Why wouldn't he?"

Akane sighed a little.

"When was the last night he didn't spend here?" she asked pointedly.

"I dunno."

Ukyo pulled out her eyeshadow trio and applied it as she thought over the question. Ryoga and she spent a lot of time together. Almost all their free time, now that she thought about it. It was natural for him to come over after class so they could hang out. In fact, he would have been there now getting ready if she hadn't made plans with Akane to get ready together. He always walked her home, even if they had spent the day at his parents' house. Then it only made sense that he stay over instead of making his way home after he dropped her off since her place was closer to his school. Not to mention that after sex, they were both exhausted and liked to cuddle before drifting off to sleep.

When was the last time he spent at home? She racked her mind, finally coming up with an answer.

"I guess it's been about a month."

Akane began to put on her lip gloss as she eyed her friend through the mirror. She saw Ukyo freeze, her brush over the middle of one eye lid, as her eyes widened in surprise.

 _There it is,_ the blue-haired girl thought with a smile.

"Oh. My. God."

Ukyo looked around the bathroom, eyeing the razor and shaving cream on the counter, the men's shampoo that was in the shower, and boxers lying on top of her hamper. She put down her make-up before walking into the closet. Ryoga's clothes had taken over a quarter of the space along with the drawers she had cleared out for him. She moved into the living area. Some of his books were littering the coffee table, a few pairs of his shoes were placed neatly in the cubbies by the door, and…there was a picture of his parents on the entry table?

She went over and picked up the offending item to realize that it was a picture of the four of them, which was taken at a picnic they had gone on a few weeks ago. He had framed it and given it to her shortly after. She had been so happy she put it on display herself. She put it down gingerly and walked back into the bathroom, a little stunned, and leaned against the kitchen counter.

"I think…I think that Ryoga is living…here. I think we are living with each other." She blinked and said slowly, enunciating each word, "We are living together."

Akane tried not to laugh at her best-friend but it was hard, so she squeezed her lips together. It was something that had been pretty obvious to her once she saw the signs. She had been surprised and a little hurt that the chef hadn't mentioned such a big step in their relationship status until it dawned on her that her best-friend might not have realized it herself. It seemed she was right. She went over and patted her on the shoulder comfortingly. Ukyo looked her best-friend in the eye, her eyes full of confusion and worry.

"Do you think _he_ knows?"

* * *

The pig-tailed man knocked on the unfamiliar front door and was greeted by his best-friend.

"Hey, Ranma."

Said man gave him nod in greeting as he walked through the door.

"Hey, Ryoga. Are the girls ready yet?" he asked.

"Almost. They said it would only be a little longer but that could mean they'll be ready in five minutes or an hour." He shrugged in a universal male gesture that said 'you know how women are.' "You want a beer?"

"Sure."

Ranma stood with his hands in his pockets as he watched the fanged-man walk into the small kitchen, pulling out two beers from the fridge before opening up a small drawer to find a bottle opener. Ryoga put the tops into a recycling bin located under the kitchen before handing the bottle to the male Saotome, who couldn't help but notice how comfortable he was in the space. It made sense as he assumed the couple spent a lot of time in Ukyo's apartment.

Ryoga led the way to the couch and turned on the television. They sat for a few minutes watching a random game show when they heard the bathroom door open and Ukyo walked out. The fanged man looked over and got to his feet quickly as he looked her up and down.

"You look great."

The chef beamed at him, giving him a light kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, Sugar." She looked over to the pig-tailed man and said, "Akane'll be right out."

As if on cue, the blue-haired girl strode out of the bathroom at that moment. Ranma, who had just been taking a swig of his beer, goggled before swallowing hard. He put the beer down and walked over to her.

"Wow. You look..."

He ran his eyes over her body appreciatively. She was wearing a simple black romper with a black elastic belt that emphasized her waist. The top formed a wide deep v that seemed to barely cover her nipples, the valley of her breasts that were prominently on display, bounced up and down as she walked. The bottom was short - really short - showing off her toned thighs and shapely calves, the bottom just covering her butt. He had always thought he was a boob man but with Akane's penchant for short skirts, he found himself obsessed with legs. Her legs.

"…hot."

It was such an understatement, but much safer than what he wanted to say.

"Thanks," she said with beaming smile.

Ranma may not be good with words but it wasn't needed when his reaction said it all. It was such an ego boost to be able to leave him speechless. It was her turn to give him the once over. He was dressed rather simply for a night out in dark wash jeans and a v-neck tee that was molded to his torso, showing off his broad shoulders, strong arms, and flat stomach. Simple or not, he looked absolutely yummy.

"You don't look so bad yourself."

She leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek, putting her hand on his shoulder and letting it run over his bicep.

"We all ready to go?" Ukyo asked, drawing their attention.

They both nodded and walked to the door. Ranma slipped into his boots and walked outside. He cocked his head to the side as he watched Akane slip her feet into four inch booties. She balanced on one foot while lifting the other behind her to zip the backs up, making her legs look even longer and leaner.

He was definitely turning into a leg man.

* * *

The club was packed. The air hot and sweaty. Rays of colored lights flashed and flickered over the crowd. Bodies pressed against each other as they gyrated in time to the music.

Akane closed her eyes, her arms in the air as she moved her hips. The music pulsated through her. She could feel it resonate from the floor. She felt a pair of hands on her hips before she was yanked back until she was flush against a strong hard body. She clasped her hands over his as she moved her butt over his crotch.

It was too loud for anyone but her to hear the groan escape his lips. Ranma wrapped his hands around her waist, rubbing his nose down her spine. Her perfume, a musky, floral concoction, tickled his nose. He inhaled deeply, taking in an intoxicating waft of the sensual scent before he kissed the nape of her neck. He moved his hand back to her hips, down the outside of her leg and over onto her inner thigh, rubbing it up and down.

She clamped her thighs together, trapping his hand between them. Moving her arms over her head, she reached back so she could touch his face and rubbed herself against him unabashedly until she could feel his length, hard against her ass.

He turned her around suddenly and pulled her into a kiss. He plunged his tongue between her lips, darting in and out as he explored the orifice. Her arms went around him, pulling him closer, her legs wedged between his, rubbing against his manhood as she grinded herself against him.

He pulled back, panting slightly. Her lips slightly swollen, her eyes still closed. He felt drunk, on her. Her touch. Her smell. Her taste. The feel of her lush body pressed against his. He put his forehead on hers to try to calm his raging erection.

Her skin felt like it was on fire. Everywhere he touched, she burned and liked it. She only wanted more. Akane leaned forward so that her mouth was next to his ear.

"Let's get out of here."

Ranma pulled back to see her looking at him through her thick lashes, her eyes smoldering. His eyes widened in surprise. There was nothing he wanted more than to take her home but he wanted her to be sure. He hadn't waited this long for her just to regret it because she may be tipsy.

"Are you sure? Or are you drunk and horny?"

She smiled at him. His concern for her well-being only made her want him more.

"I've only had one drink. I'm sure. And horny."

Ranma didn't have to be told twice. He grabbed her hand and started to walk out but felt a tug on his arm. He frowned as he turned around.

 _Did she change her mind?_

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just want to tell Ukyo where I'm going so she doesn't worry."

The girls had an understanding, they never left a club without telling the other. That way neither would worry on the rare occasion one chose to leave with a guy. It also allowed the one staying back to make sure she wasn't drunk and being taken advantage off.

"Text her while we're in the cab," he said before pulling her along. He wasn't willing to wait a moment longer than necessary to be with her.

* * *

 **A/N:** At long last, an update! This is not the end of the chapter, the actual lemon has been posted on Archive of Our Own or Adult FanFiction, I have the same user name at both sites. The lemon is graphic, so reader discretion is advised. I hope you enjoy it and please let me know what you think! Reviews keep me writing!

For those who choose not to read the scene, in summary: they have sex and really, really enjoyed it.

I'm sorry this took longer than I thought but lemons are difficult for me to write. I have no idea why I do this to myself. Oh, wait. I do know why; it's because I'm a pervert.

FYI, The first scene of this chapter was supposed to be in the last chapter but I forgot to put it in. Ranma's test results did not affect Akane's decision on when to sleep with him.

Thank you, **alwaysZutarian** for all your help and suggestions!


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:** There are two lemons in this chapter that I have editted out for FFN. To read the full version I use the same pen name at Archive of Our Own and Adult Fanfiction sites. If anyone thinks what I have posted is still to mature for this site, please let me know.

* * *

Something soft tickled Ranma's nose. He brushed his hand over his face but whatever it was kept falling into his face. He sniffed, taking in a comforting yet alluring scent. Popping one eye open, he saw a cap of short blue hair. He smiled slightly as memories of the night before flashed through his mind. He wrapped his arms around her tighter, pulling her closer. He buried his nose against the back of her neck and took another sniff. Her smell was somehow comforting and arousing at the same time. He slipped into her from behind.

There was a war within him, one side wanting to fuck her hard and fast, wanting them both to find that release. The other side fought to keep the pace steady. It surprised him how much he wanted her. Last night he had barely finished, had just come down from his high when he had the urge – the need - to be inside her again. Even before his body was ready. He wasn't one to want slow and easy but he wanted it now. He focused on her and her pleasure. Her soft breathy moans as he slid in and out of her. His hands caressing her back, her hips, her breasts. The way she clenched herself around him as he moved his reward. So he indulged, touching her everywhere. Discovering places that made her moan, others that made her giggle.

This was so different from the rush of their first time or fun of the time after that. This was almost gentle. Every touch, every caress heightening her pleasure. The build-up slow and intoxicating. When she came it was like a hot wave of pleasure taking over her entire body.

It surprised Ranma that he needed the slow and enjoyed it more than he ever thought he would. He loved being inside her, couldn't think of anything that felt better. When she came around him, he held back as much as he could, to prolong her enjoyment before he came, spurting into her in a slow and easy ecstasy.

When he reached out to pull Akane to him, he only caught blanket as she scooted out of his reach and out of bed.

"Where ya going?" he asked, a seed of irritation settling itself within him.

Annoyed that she wasn't already snuggled with him. Then annoyed at himself for being annoyed in the first place, he had never been a cuddler before.

"Bathroom, I'll be right back."

She needed to relieve herself but also need to clean up. The last thing she wanted was a UTI or a yeast infection, which was a possibility with as much sex as they were having. After cleaning up and washing her face - her makeup had smeared making her thankful he had taken her from behind, as it was not a pretty sight - she slipped back into the nice warm bed, next to a nice warm Ranma. She smiled and twined her leg with his, her head resting on his shoulder.

"What time is it anyways?" she asked with a yawn.

He reached over and checked his phone before putting it back down.

"Early. You should go back to sleep," he said until a thought entered his mind. "Unless you have other plans and need to leave." The idea bothered him more than he wanted to admit. He didn't want her to go.

"No, I just had some tentative plans to go shopping with Sayuri and Yuka. I told them I would text them if I could make it." She burrowed in further then frowned as a thought came to her. "Do you have plans today?" Why was she suddenly feeling insecure?

"Not until dinner. Ma is expecting me home."

He closed his eyes and kissed the top of her head before he pulled her closer.

"'kay," she said with a yawn. "Daddy is expecting me home for dinner, too." She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep almost immediately.

When he woke up next, Ranma rolled over, patting the mattress beside him, only to find the bed empty. Frowning, he noticed the bed was still warm. He turned his head as he heard the shower running. The image of Akane standing beneath a spray of water, soaking wet, and lathering herself entered his mind. He moved to join her when his stomach grumbled loudly, voicing its objection. He rubbed it soothingly and after a quick debate - when he realized there was no way two people could fit in his tiny shower – he went into the kitchen to start breakfast.

Stepping out of the shower and wrapping the towel around herself, Akane walked to the sink and ran her hand over the mirror, giving her a small slightly fuzzy area to look at. She finger combed her hair and ran her tongue over her teeth, realizing she need to brush. Opening the cabinet underneath the sink she was relieved to find a new tooth brush on one of the shelves. She really didn't want to have to use Ranma's toothbrush. No matter how close – physically or emotionally – she was to someone, she didn't like the idea of using their toothbrush.

After brushing, she applied some of the lotion he had sitting on his counter. Opening the bathroom door, she was immediately hit with a wonderful scent that had her stomach grumbling and her mouthwatering. She was about to walk into the living are in just the towel when she saw her clothes from the night before folded on the now neatly made bed. She grinned when she thought of a wonderful idea.

In the kitchen, Ranma hummed to himself as he made breakfast. He couldn't remember being in a better mood. He had some left over rice that he had reheating in the cooker, had already made some rolled omelets, miso soup, and plated several varieties of pickled vegetables. It wasn't much compared to his mother's cooking but it'd do to keep their bellies full and would give them energy for all the sordid activities he had planned for them later. He was just gathering a set of plates, bowls, and chopsticks when he heard a voice behind him.

"I hope you don't mind but I borrowed a shirt."

"Hmm. Not at all," he said as he piled the last couple items.

He assumed she had grabbed one of his large t-shirts, and turning to set the table, his eyes widened in surprised and he fumbled the stack in his hands. He tried to grab the falling items but only managed to hold onto one plate and bowl as his eyes were glued to the blue-haired girl standing before him. She was wearing one of his white cotton ribbed tank tops and her panties. The tank fit her like a second skin, molding to her curves. The top stretched to accommodate her breasts, the thin material leaving little to the imagination. He could see the outline of her areolas and tell that she was a little cold as her nipples were hard. The tank top was long on her, ending right over the widest part of her hip, giving him the tiniest glimpse of the black panties she wore underneath.

Akane smiled to herself, pleased at his reaction. There was something so satisfying about making Ranma practically drool at the sight of her. She tilted her head, her eyes wide and her expression innocent.

"Need some help with those?"

"What? Huh? Wha…oh no. I'm fine, just a little clumsy this morning, I guess," he said as his brain finally engaged.

He picked up everything from the floor and placed them in the sink and felt her fingers brush lightly over his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," the youngest Tendo said, her voice soft.

There were red scratches and crescent shaped indents all over his skin. In their frenzy last night, she hadn't noticed all the marks she had left on him. But in the light of day, the red marks looked painful. She kissed them gingerly. Confused, Ranma looked over his shoulder and noticed the marks for the first time. Turning around, he leaned against the counter and pulled her into his arms.

"Don't be sorry. I enjoyed it. A lot." He nuzzled her neck. "This looks good on you," he said, running his hand down her side.

"I hope you don't mind that I borrowed the new toothbrush you had in one of your drawers."

"Not at all," he replied now a little self-conscious about his own morning breath.

"You made breakfast."

"It's not much but help yourself. I'll be right back." He walked a few steps before turning back and adding, "And don't worry, I remembered to clean the table before I put the food on it." He grinned and gave her a wink.

Akane's lips quirked at his comment as she eyed all the food on the table. He must have used a dozen eggs for the omelets and had an entire pot of miso. She didn't know if she would ever get used to the Saotome stomach. Since he forgot to set the table, she collected some clean items from the cabinets and drawers , placing them on the table. She also set some water for tea and took a seat to wait for Ranma to come out but when her stomach grumbled, she almost gave in and started to eat without him. Instead she left the table - and the temptation on it - to check her phone.

She had a missed text from her dad, telling her that they would be having dinner that evening at the Saotomes'. She had also missed a couple of texts from Ukyo.

 _You okay?  
_ _I didn't get a chance to talk to you before you left._

Akane felt a little guilty. She broke one of their rules, she should have talked to Uko face to face before she left.

 _I'm fine.  
_ _Sorry, I should've found you before I left._

She was a little surprised when Ukyo responded back right away, her guilt increasing when she read the first text.

 _No problem. As long as you're safe.  
_ _Besides, I knew you were with Ranma.  
_ _You guys were getting pretty hot and heavy on the dance floor. Then you were in such a hurry to leave.  
_ _Did you finally get laid?_

 _Yes.  
_ _Twice last night.  
_ _And once this morning._

 _Damn. How was it?  
_ _Never mind. Stupid question.  
_ _You wouldn't have done it twice last night and once this morning if it wasn't good.  
_ _I want details!  
_ _You at home?_

 _No, I'm still at Ranma's._

 _Oh,_ was sent with a thumbs up emoji.  
 _I'll text you later. I want details on Wednesday!  
_ _Have fun!_

Following the last text was a creative series of emojis that was suggestive and crude, causing the blue-haired girl to laugh. The hot water was ready by the time she was done and she searched the kitchen for a tea pot and tea leaves.

After taking a quick shower, Ranma pulled on a pair of boxer shorts and a black cotton ribbed tank top. He reached for a pair of sweats before deciding against it. If Akane was comfortable enough to lounge around his apartment in her panties, she wouldn't be bothered by him in his underwear. Toweling his hair off as he went, he walked towards the kitchen to find her making some tea. He paused and cocked his head to the side as he admired her ass.

"Can I have some of that?" he asked as he wrapped the small towel he was carrying around his neck.

Looking over her shoulder, the blue-haired girl gave him a smile.

"Sure."

She grabbed two teacups and the teapot, taking them over to the table. She sat then she set one cup in front of him, filling it up before doing the same for herself.

Ranma took a sip of his tea, wincing at the acrid taste. She had put way too many leaves in the pot. He swallowed quickly, his eyes watering slightly, and he moved his cup away subtly.

"This looks great," she said as she served them both rice.

She took a serving of tamago, moaning a little at the taste. It was either the best tasting eggs she ever had or she was really, really hungry. Probably a combination of both, she mused and she dug in. After finishing the first piece she reached for her tea cup and took a sip. She chocked, almost spitting out the offensive liquid.

"Oh my god, that's awful!" She swallowed quickly then wiped her face with a napkin. "Why didn't you warn me?" she asked accusingly.

"I thought you liked it like that!"

"Who would like that?"

Ranma shrugged, his lips twitching in amusement. She really was awful in the kitchen.

"I dunno but from now on, I'm waiting for you to taste everything you make before I try it," he said with a grin.

Akane tried to scowl at him but couldn't quite manage it. So laughing, she balled up her napkin and threw it at his face.

* * *

After breakfast, the pair ended up on the couch cuddling, with Akane being the little spoon. Since the sofa was small, they had to press together pretty tightly to fit, not that either of them minded. It wasn't long before the position effected Ranma, a fact the youngest Tendo was fully aware of as proof of it was pocking her in the back. His hands began to roam her body while he began to kiss her neck. She closed her eyes and hummed in appreciation as she tilted her head to give him better access. His hand found its way to the front of her panties and when he tried to slip his hand in, she swatted it away.

"Ranma, no."

Thinking she was being playful, he moved his hand up towards her breasts but she grabbed his wrist before he reached his intended destination.

"No."

Confused, he moved so that she was lying flat on the couch and he was hovering over her with a puzzled expression.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Then why are you pushing me away, literally."

"I can't have sex with you right now."

"Why?"

Akane chewed her lip nervously. She didn't want to tell him the truth, since it was embarrassing but knowing him, he wasn't going to let it go. Plus, she should be honest with him, should be able to talk things over with him. It was the mature adult thing to do. But it still sucked. She sighed a little, trying to push the mortification away.

"I'm a little…sore."

Ranma grinned at her response. At first, he was worried as he couldn't figure out why she was suddenly pushing him away. He wondered if she wasn't in the mood but she seemed receptive enough when he started kissing her neck. Now that he knew the truth, he wondered why she was so reluctant to tell him. With the way she was riding him last night, it wasn't a surprise her muscles would be a little sore and it seemed like an easy thing to solve.

"I can help you stretch your legs. In fact, there are several positions I can think of that can help," he said with a leer.

The blue-haired girl blinked. And blinked again. She stared at him for a few moments, hoping he would get it but it didn't happen.

"It's not my legs. It's been a long time since I've had sex. And we had a lot of it. With your size, I'm feeling a little _raw_ ," she said with emphasis.

"Oh. _Oh._ " he said as the information finally sunk in.

He knew it happened to girls, he just never had one tell him about it before. That definitely put a crimp into what he had planned for the rest of the day. But it gave them a chance to try some new things while letting her pussy rest. Smiling, he began to push the tank top higher.

"What are you doing? I told you I was sore."

"No, you told me we couldn't fuck. You didn't say I couldn't eat you out."

His hand palmed the underside of her breast, his fingers grazed her nipple, causing her breath to hitch.

"Unless you want me to stop," he said as he began nibbling her neck.

She closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling and only shook her head in response. He used his mouth and hands to pleasure her and then she returned the favor.

"Fuck," Ranma groaned, shaking his head clear of the ringing in his ears. When he opened his eyes, he was glad he could see straight. "Fuck," he said again once his breathing steadied. He pulled her against him and kissed her forehead. "That was fucking incredible."

"Yeah?" she asked.

She stretched her mouth and rubbed her jaw subtly as she settled into him. It had been a long time since she had given anyone head and it looked like there was another part of her body that was going to be a sore. But the glazed and satisfied look in his face made it totally worth it.

"Yeah. Best blow job I'd ever had." And he meant it.

She smiled, now feeling a little smug. She had always had a healthy competitive streak and wanted to be the best at whatever she did. One of the reasons she had been nervous about having sex with him was that she was worried that she wouldn't stack up to the girls he had been with. It felt good knowing that not only could she pleasure him but that she could do it better than anyone else. She didn't for once think that he was lying to her, it just wasn't his style.

"You really wore me out. I need a nap and this couch is way too small for that."

He never felt the o-comma hit him so hard. He stood up, taking her hand and leading them into his room.

* * *

After their nap the first thing Ranma did was grab a bunch of snacks. He felt starved. Akane followed him out and settled on the couch and flipped on the TV. When he came back with arms full of food, she could only shake her head and wonder at how he could be constantly eating. Although the strawberry pocky did sound pretty tasty. Neither of them suggested leaving his apartment. There seemed to be an unspoken understanding that they both wanted to spend the day together, alone. It was an interesting day for both of them as neither one was the type to loaf around.

There seemed to be nothing good on and after twenty minutes of channel surfing the pig-tailed man was growing restless. Suddenly he had an idea and turned to the blue-haired woman.

"You wanna play a game?" he asked excitedly.

She rolled her eyes at him.

"I told you, I'm too sore for sex right now."

"But…"

"My jaw is too, so don't get any ideas," she said with a shake of her head.

"I wasn't thinking about sex. But it's nice to know you were. And really, who can blame you when you're around all of this," he said cockily.

He winked at her, flexed his arm, and kissed his bicep. Akane snorted and elbowed him in the side. He rubbed his abdomen gingerly. Damn, she was strong.

"What I meant was we could play some video games."

"Oh. Okay." She shrugged. "I'll give it a try, but I probably won't be very good."

"It's fine. We'll play something easy, like a racing game."

Ranma pulled out the latest Grand Turismo and loaded it, handing her one of the controllers. He went over the controls and after modifying their rides, the race started. He glanced over and saw her face scrunched up in concentration as she pressed the wrong buttons and jerked the controller around. His lips twitched in amusement. Damn, she was just so cute.

"Uggh! Why am I so bad at this?" she growled as her car spun off the track for the third time.

"It could be the way you are using the remote. You know it only works when you are pushing the buttons. Moving the controller left and right doesn't actually get the car to move that way."

"I know that. Jerk," she muttered under her breath but couldn't stop her lips from twitching in amusement. "Damn. Twelfth place."

"And I got first," he said somewhat smugly. "Wanna play again?"

"Sure. I can only get better right?"

She didn't. After losing five more games they turned the game off and played cards instead.

* * *

Later in the day, they were back to watching TV, cuddled lengthwise as comfortably as his small couch would allow. Akane checked her phone and realized she needed to get ready for dinner. She was a little surprised that the day had gone by so quickly. Especially since they hadn't done a single thing. Regretfully, she sat up and stretched before getting off the couch.

"What cha doing?" Ranma asked as he continued to lounge.

His gaze left the TV for a much more compelling image. From his angle, he had the most amazing view of her ass. It was firm and round, her soft smooth skin covered tantalizingly with skimpy black lace. He just wanted to take a bite of it. Instead he squeezed one cheek before giving her a nice firm smack.

Akane looked over her shoulder to see him grinning at her unrepentantly. She rolled her eyes for form, and kept the fact that she liked it a secret. It felt good knowing he couldn't keep his hands off her.

"We are going to have to leave for dinner soon and I need to get ready."

"Do you need to go home first to get some clothes?"

"Not unless I can borrow something. You mind if I grab a shirt?"

He eyed her up and down as she stood there still only wearing his cotton tank top. He stared at her blandly.

"If you think I'm gonna let anyone else see you like that, you're crazy."

She turned to face him fully, her eyebrows scrunched and her lips pouting a bit, giving him a pitying look.

"And you're cute, thinking that you can tell me what to do," she said in a cutesy voice, making her comment even more condescending.

She walked away without waiting for a reply, leaving Ranma gaping after her. He blinked as he tried to think of a response. He had been joking - mostly - and he was sure she knew that. But she had used the moment to tell him that despite their new intimacy, she wouldn't tolerate being pushed around.

After a moment he could only shake his head in appreciation. He had never met a girl who had the ability to stand her ground in such an effective way. Much like the first time he had dinner at her house, she had completely shut him down without so much as raising her voice.

Was it any surprise that he was so infatuated with her?

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay, so I know it feels like there is a lot of sex in the story, so if you're not into that kinda thing, sorry. But the morning after and potential awkwardness needs to be addressed. Plus after 15 chapters, I felt like we need more than one lemon.

I'm sorry it took so long to get this done! Smut takes forever to write. I swear I'm never writing another lemon! (I know it's a bald-face lie but I mean it for now!)

 **Smashman42** asked me if there is more of this story to go now that they slept together. Yes, because sleeping together doesn't automatically make Ranma and Akane a couple. I do have a definite ending though and won't be dragging the story out.

Please feed my ego and leave a review! Big thank you to **alwaysZutarian** for all her help!


	18. Chapter 18

Looking through Ranma's closet, Akane ended up picking out a long-sleeved, red button up dress shirt. Grabbing her wristlet and belt, she went into the bathroom; another shower was definitely the first order of business, keeping it short. She dried off and wrapped the towel around herself. She cleared a section of the foggy mirror so she could take a good look at herself. She checked her neck, glad she didn't have any hickeys there. That wasn't true of her breasts, both had various purple bruises decorating them. At least those would be easy to cover up, it would just be embarrassing if she had some on her neck. She wasn't 16 for heaven's sake.

Using his hair dryer too, she did her best to style it without any of her tools or products. Opening her wristlet, she pulled out her lip pot, using it for lip gloss and as an impromptu blush before pulling out her eyeliner, saying a little thank you that she thought of putting it in her bag the night before. She didn't look her best but it wasn't bad for what she had to work with. When she put on the shirt, it was huge on her, like she expected. She rolled up the sleeves and belted it, taking some time to bunch the shirt in the right areas, so it looked like a dress before adjusting the collar. She looked at it critically in the full length mirror. With the belt it was a tad bit too short on the sides. It would look even shorter with her heels but nothing that would be called indecent.

She walked into the living room to find Ranma already dressed, in slacks and a light sweater. She hummed a little in her throat at the sight. Damn, he looked good. She only felt slightly annoyed that it probably only took him five minutes to look that good when it took her about 30 minutes of primping. Men had it so easy.

"Wow, you look great 'Kane," he said, walking over to her and giving her a light kiss on the lips. "Much better than I've ever looked in it.

"Thanks," she said with a smile. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah."

He grabbed his keys and they left the apartment. It didn't hurt her ego one bit when he looked her up and down again, his eyes lingering on her thighs exposed by the U of his shirt. She smiled to herself. Maybe it wasn't too short after all.

Walking towards the Saotome home, Akane cleared her throat delicately. Ranma knew it was something she did when she was unsure of what she was going to say. He also knew she just needed a moment to get her thoughts together, so he waited.

The blue-haired girl was deep in thought about their relationship. She wanted to ask him if they should say something to their parents now. She wasn't stupid or naïve enough to think that having sex automatically made them a "couple" but their relationship _had_ changed. She just didn't know how to address is. She didn't want him to think that she was suddenly going to become clingy and make assumptions just because they had sex.

They never had a discussion about whether or not to tell their parents when they started dating, it was just a mutual decision to not say anything. Would this change that? Should they change that? She decided the only way to find out was to just ask.

"Umm…do you think we should say anything to our parents?"

"What? About us having sex? Are you crazy?" he asked incredulously.

A black and white image of Soun, once again dressed as a samurai brandishing a long sword came to his mind. The Tendo patriarch was walking out of a mist towards him, stopping when he was a few feet away. The man started to challenge him - with his voice coming on a ten second delay - to an honor duel over his daughter's honor.

"No! About…this," she said, gesturing between them. Then she mumbled something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like 'idiot', but he let it go.

"Oh. Hmm."

It's not like he hadn't ever thought about it; he had actually given the idea a lot of thought. His sister already knew they were dating and fully supported the idea. She was even trying to think of a couple name for them, the latest being "Ramakane". It didn't exactly roll of the tongue but Ranko was determined to think of something.

His father would be smug and annoying with it. He would go on and on about how he was right and tell Ranma how he should always listen to him. He'd never let him forget it either. It was enough for Ranma to never want to tell his parents.

His mom though, would be ecstatic. She adored Akane. It was counter intuitive but that was one of the reasons he didn't want to tell her. He loved his ma and didn't want her to be disappointed should things not work out. Sure, things had been going well between them, but he didn't want to jinx it. He also knew that his family or her father could easily be that jinx. He was sure they would mean well but would interfere and put undue pressure on them. That could only cause them problems. He wouldn't risk that.

But he didn't want her to think that he was trying to hide anything either. After giving himself a moment to think about it he ended up doing what he always did: say exactly what he thought.

"No, definitely not."

The blue-haired girl's eyes widened a bit at his strong reaction.

"Don't get me wrong," he continued quickly. "I'm not trying to hide nothin' and I don't like the idea of sneaking around or lyin' but they aren't gonna give us a moment's peace if we tell them. They mean well but as soon as they know about us they'd probably start planning a wedding and asking us when we'll have kids."

Since she seemed to pale at the mention of weddings and babies, he figured he hadn't offended her.

"I just think we should wait," he added.

"I don't like the idea of lying or hiding the truth either but I was thinking the same thing. I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page."

Ranma nodded and paused at the front door. He leaned in to give her a kiss, soft and sweet, knowing he wouldn't be able to for a while.

"Ready?" he asked when he pulled back.

"Yup. Let's go."

He opened the front door for them, calling out to let them know he was home.

"Welcome home, honey," his mother's voice sounded out.

They followed it into the living area to see his parents and Soun all seated at the table, drinking tea. Nodoka's eyes widened in surprise at seeing the pair together. Ranma could practically hear her mind working as she looked back and forth between them, a pleased, almost calculating smile forming on her face. He knew at that moment they had made the right decision to not mention anything to their parents.

"Akane! It's so nice to see you! I didn't realize you were here, too. Did you two come _together?_ " she asked.

"Auntie Nodoka, it's good to see you, too. We ended up taking the same train so we walked here together," the blue haired girl said evasively. While it wasn't the whole truth, she felt a little better that she hadn't lied straight out. She looked over to the table. "Hello Mr. Saotome, Daddy."

The former just grunted his greeting and her father gave her a smile. "Akane, did you have fun with Ukyo yesterday?"

"Yes! We had a wonderful time."

"Good, I'm glad. What did you two end up doing today?"

"Hey Akane, hey Ranma," Ranko said, making her presence known. She had come out of her room when her brother called out earlier. She would have walked out sooner but she took a moment to look the couple over. She noticed immediately that something changed between them.

"Hi, Ranko," the blue-haired girl said, grateful she could avoid her dad's questioning, but the look on the redhead's face made her feel a little nervous.

Ranma looked over to see his sister eyeing Akane speculatively. After growing up with her, he knew she had something up her sleeve. "Hey, Sis," he said in greeting.

Eyes still on the youngest Tendo, Ranko smiled sweetly at her friend. "I really like your _dress_ , Akane."

"Oh…th…thank you," she said nervously as she pulled the hem down just a tad.

"Where did you get it?"

"It's actually not mine. I borrowed it from Ukyo. I spent the night at _her_ house last night and didn't bring a change of clothing," she said meaningfully.

"That was nice of her."

"Yes, it was."

The girls stared at each other for a moment, having a wordless conversation before seemingly coming to an understanding.

"I'll just ask her where she got it the next time I see her then," Ranko said with a smirk. It was obvious to both Ranma and Akane she hadn't let it go.

Dinner was harder for the pig-tailed man than he thought it would be. It was difficult sitting next to Akane and pretending that she was only a friend. That she wasn't anything to him. He had to fight the constant urge he had to touch her.

When she tucked her hair behind her ear, he wanted to run his fingers in those soft blue locks. When she smiled sweetly at him, he wanted to run his hand up and down her back. When she laughed he had look away to avoid leaning into her, wanting so badly to kiss her. And when she used her tongue to lick off the stray piece of rice on the corner of her mouth, he went rock hard.

Despite the problems he was having, he managed to keep his hands to himself and enjoy the evening. It was fun spending time with his family and hers. Soun, while oddly intimidating, was fun to have around. It was nice to see his father enjoying himself. The Tendo patriarch's presence kept Genma from nit-picking on his eldest and starting a fight between the two hot-headed men. Akane had the same influence on the Saotome women, keeping Nodoka and Ranko from sniping at each other. It was one of the more relaxing dinners he ever had at home.

* * *

After they finished eating, Ranma made a lame excuse to get Akane alone in his room. When he shut the door, he pulled her into him, kissing her soundly. She pulled back with that slightly glazed look on her face that he loved.

"What was that for?"

"I missed you."

"Missed me?" she asked amused. "I was sitting next to you all night."

"But I couldn't touch you. I missed that," he said, running his hand through her hair.

"Yes, _that_ I believe," she said a little mischievously, her eyes twinkling. She rubbed herself against his erection.

"I can't help what you do to me," he said smugly before pulling her into another kiss.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, playing with the ponytail the way he liked. She knew they shouldn't be making out in his room with their parents right down the hall, but dinner had been hard on her, too. Plus, the sneaking around was a little exciting. The chance of getting caught added a little urgency to their kiss. They knew better but were easily lost in the intensity.

"Ewww….gross," a disgusted voice said suddenly.

They sprung apart, looking startled and guilty, to find Ranko making a face at them.

"What the hell?" Ranma yelled. Seeing the door open behind her he added, "Get out and shut the door!"

Ignoring him, she came into the room. "If you didn't want to get caught then you guys shouldn't be making out where anyone could walk in on you," she replied with an eye roll. But she kept her voice low, and closed the door behind her. "So. You two finally did it, huh?"

"That's none of your business," Ranma said at the same time Akane asked, "How did you know?"

"You two aren't as sneaky or smooth as you think. It was obvious for two reasons. I _know_ that dress," she used air quotes, "you're wearing is one of Ranma's shirts."

"How can you tell?" Akane asked. She thought she did a pretty good job styling herself so it looked like she was wearing an actual dress.

"I bought him that shirt for his birthday."

The blue-haired girl smacked the Saotome male on the arm. "Why didn't you say anything?"

He just shrugged. "I didn't remember!" he said in his defense, earning himself two glares.

"Well, try to remember unless you want to get caught," the redhead said with another eye-roll. She put her hand up to stall what she knew was going to be an explanation. "I totally understand if you don't want to tell our parents, that's your choice; you don't need to justify it to me." She shifted her attention to Akane and added, "Just remember what I said though, I _don't_ want to hear about any kinky stuff."

Ranko only grinned when the blue-haired girl glared at her. Ranma just shook his head, not knowing and not wanting to know what they were talking about. Akane went to sit on the bed, her arms crossed over her chest in annoyance.

"You said there were two reasons, what was the other one?" the youngest Tendo asked.

Ranko's grin only widened and her eyes sparkled with mischief once again. "You're walking funny today."

The pig-tailed man tried not to smile too but it was difficult, he was feeling righteously smug. Akane's face turned bright red and she spluttered in indignation which only had the red-head laughing harder. Eyes squeezed tight, as she grabbed her side, Ranko didn't see the pillow aimed at her and it hit her right in the face.

* * *

When it was time to say good-bye to the Tendos that night, Ranma found himself annoyed. He had spent a lot of time with Akane that day and despite that, he didn't want her to leave. Usually after having sex with a girl, it didn't bother him at all if she left right away. And while he knew it made him a dick, he sometimes wished they would. With Akane though, even after spending all night and day with her, he was reluctant for her to leave. He wanted to take her back with him to his apartment.

Which was impossible unless they wanted to announce their relationship to their parents since she lived with her father. Soun was sure to be suspicious if she told him she were going to spend another night at Ukyo's, especially since it was Sunday and she had classes the next day.

Ranma would have been happy if he could at least walk her home, but he couldn't figure out how to do that without raising suspicion. So he had no choice but to stand there and watch her leave with her father. He stuck his hands in his pockets to keep himself from touching her.

When he finally got into bed that night, it felt unusually large and lonely.

* * *

Across town another pair was sitting on the couch, snuggled up and watching a game show. Ukyo sighed in contentment and thought she could stay like this forever, all comfy and cozy. Then she immediately panicked. The idea of _forever_ with anyone was jarring.

Forever.

For-ev-er.

She shivered, a bead of cold sweat ran down her spine.

"You cold?" Ryoga asked.

He reached behind him to pull down a throw and wrap it over her. He tucked her under his arm, rubbing her back to warm her up as he kissed her gently on the forehead. The action had her calming immediately as she realized a couple of things: Ryoga cared about her and took care of her. He did so without needing to be asked because he wanted to.

She could and had always taken care of herself, but knowing there was someone who wanted to be there for her so eagerly warmed her heart. The chef sighed as all the doubt and fear seemed to melt away.

"You know," she began casually, "you spend a lot of time here."

"Yeah, I guess," he replied, his attention more on flipping channels than what she was saying.

"You spend a lot of nights here, too."

"Okay," he said, now a little warily.

"Every night, actually. For a while now."

 _Is she sick of me?_ he thought. "Is that a problem?"

"No, of course not! I like having you here. I just wondered if you realized that we…we're sorta…living together."

"Of course I knew! It's been over a month since I've slept at my parents' place."

"So you knew?"

Then something clicked. "Wait, did you know?"

"No, not really." She felt even sillier now. "I mean, we never really talked about it."

"Well…huh," he said giving the idea some thought. "Huh. I guess you're right, we never talked about it. But that's why you gave me the drawer and closet space, right? Because you wanted me to stay here?"

"Well, I gave you the space because I liked having you here and wanted you to be comfortable. I like being with you. But…it's just that living together is such a big step, it surprised me."

"I didn't realize. Do you want me to go to stay at my parents instead?" he asked now frowning himself.

She noticed then that he stopped calling his parents' place home, which was oddly comforting to her. She shook her head, "No, it's fine. Like I said, I like having you…live here."

It was still a little difficult for her to say and was probably going to take her some time to get used to.

"Okay, then." Ryoga let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. He began to worry again when she frowned, suddenly looking annoyed. He panicked slightly when she drilled a finger into his chest.

"I do have one problem with this situation though."

"Uh…what?" he asked nervously.

"Were you planning to chip in for rent or were you gonna just mooch off me?" she asked with her eyebrow raised.

His eyes grew wide. "I didn't think of it. I mean of course I'm gonna start paying rent. And for groceries, too! I know I eat a lot and I don't want you to think I'm trying to take advantage of you."

Her eyes twinkled and her lips curved into a mischievous smile, one that stopped his stuttering, had his pulse racing, and blood flowing south.

"I think I know a way you can work off some of that back rent you owe me," she said in a low seductive voice. She grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him on top of her.

* * *

 ** _1 month later_**

Ranko walked into the coffee shop where she would be meeting Ranma, Akane, Ryoga, and Ukyo before going to catch a movie. The red-head had been hesitant to join the two couples as she didn't want to be a fifth wheel but the blue-haired girl insisted the outing would be fun. As neither pair tended to be into PDA, which was nauseating to her, she agreed to come along.

She had to admit it has taken more time than she thought to get used to the idea of her brother having a girlfriend. He had always been an easy going guy but he was just so mellow lately. Even his parents noticed something was different about him. He was in such a good mood that it was hard for her to get him riled up. It was a sister's prerogative to poke at her brother and he wasn't reacting properly. It was just so wrong.

Not that she blamed Akane, who she already liked as a friend, a fact the still surprised Ranko from time to time. What really surprised her was how much she liked Akane with her brother. The red-head knew the blue-haired girl would do her brother good, but she didn't realize how much. She would forever be thankful to Akane for making her brother so happy that she could even forgive his aforementioned lackadaisical response to her teasing.

Ranko arrived to find Ukyo and Ryoga already seated on a couch with a few open chairs around them. She waved to them before ordering a drink and joining them. They exchanged greetings and she was served her coffee when she noticed his brother walk in with his date.

"Oh man, you guys aren't turning into one of _those_ couples, are you?" Ranko asked with a grimace as they walked towards the group.

"Hi, to you, too," Akane said dryly before asking, "What are you talking about?"

"You two are dressed exactly the same. You guys didn't plan that shit, did you?"

Surprised, Akane looked Ranma over; he was wearing dark jeans, a pair of grey sneakers, and a simple black t-shirt. Then she looked down at herself and realized that while she wasn't dressed in the exact same clothing, she was pretty close in a pair of dark skinny jeans, grey booties, and a tight fighting black tank-top.

"We didn't plan it but it's not our fault we both have good taste," the blue-haired girl said with a smile, shrugging at the red-head.

Ranko groaned. "Now I know you've been spending too much time with my brother, his ego is rubbing off on you."

The youngest Tendo only laughed in response and Ranma rolled his eyes at his sister.

"Never mind their clothes, what the fuck did you do to your hair?" Ryoga asked incredulously looking at his best-friend.

"What? What's wrong with my hair?" Ranma said defensively.

"Is that a bun? A _bun_?"

"Yeah, it's a man bun"

"A man bun? Men don't wear buns. Only chicks wear buns. And I thought your braid was girly."

"Sure they do, it's a thing; people love it."

"If you're a hipster. You gonna grow a beard too? Start shopping at Good Will. I know, you're gonna stop using Spotify and buy a turn table to get that 'authentic' sound." Ryoga narrowed his eyes and moved his head to the left and right, taking a good look at Ranma from different angles. "Damn. I've never noticed how much you look like your mom before, but now that you guys have the same hairstyle I totally see the resemblance. The bun totally brings out your girly features."

"Fuck you. 'Kane, you like my hair like this, don't you?"

Said girl looked startled at being pulled into their argument.

"Umm, sorry, what?" she asked, trying to buy time.

"My hair, you like it, right?"

"Umm…I love your hair," she said evasively.

It wasn't a lie, exactly. Normally she did. She made eye contact with Ukyo, having an unspoken conversation about how she truly felt and avoided making eye contact with Ranko, who would only make things worse. It didn't help as the red-head, who was already laughing, only laughed harder. The chef turned her head to the side, trying to hide her smile. She was totally on Ryoga's side on this one and not because he was her boyfriend. The interaction didn't go unnoticed by the guys.

"See? She hates it and she doesn't wanna hurt your feewings!" Ryoga said in a mock baby voice.

The youngest Tendo avoided making contact with the bunned-hair man, suddenly very interested in some imaginary lint on her shirt.

"Well, I like it," Ranma said with a huff.

"And we know it's lady's prerogative what she does with her hair. I'm sorry Miss Saotome if I offended you. It won't happen again, ma'am."

Ranma flipped Ryoga the bird before trying to change the topic, which didn't work. The fanged man seldom had that much material to work with and was relentless. Ranko was suddenly very glad she decided to come out.

Despite his claim, Ranma was never seen wearing a man-bun again.

* * *

It was Ranma's birthday and their collective group of friends had taken him to celebrate with dinner and karaoke. The two groups seemed to have merged effortlessly and it was always a good time, though Akane could see some drama brewing.

Sayuri was sleeping with both Hiroshi and Daisuke, something both guys knew about. Despite their claims that they were okay with the situation, the youngest Tendo had seen signs of jealousy from both of them throughout the evening. What they didn't know about was Sayuri had started dating someone else, someone she was actually serious about. If things worked out, she would be breaking it off with both men soon, which was going to cause problems. Akane and Ukyo had discussed the situation and vowed to stay out of it all and let them figure it out themselves.

Ranma and Akane had plans to spend Sunday dinner at Ranma's parent's house for his big traditional birthday dinner that included all of his favorite foods. The Tendos had been asked to join the festivities weeks ago. Their parents still had no idea the two were dating although Akane had caught Nodoka giving them some speculative looks lately. Her father could hardly fail to notice how often she spent her Friday and Saturday nights at 'Ukyo's.'

They both stumbled into Ranma's apartment, slightly tipsy, Akane kicked off her shoes and plopped down on his couch. The blue-haired girl couldn't help but notice the prettily wrapped item on the coffee table.

"You've got a present!" she called out merrily.

Walking into the room with a glass of water and two Aspirins, he handed them to the blue-haired girl (he had taken two himself while in the small kitchen) and settled down next to her. She took the pills and drank the water greedily. He grabbed the gift and tried to hand it to the girl who was already nuzzling his neck but her hands were already busy undoing the buttons of his shirt.

"It's not for me, it's for you. See?" he asked, pointing to the tag which read:

 _To: Akane_

 _From: Ranma_

"For me? Why? It's your birthday!" she asked confused as she took the gift from him.

A slow sinful grin spread across his face and he pulled her onto his lap.

"Just open it," he whispered huskily into her ear and began to nibble on her earlobe.

It took her a moment to get started, being as distracted as she was. Reluctantly, she pulled away from him slightly and began to unwrap the present to unveil a familiar pink covered book. She laughed out loud.

"I can't believe you bought this!"

"I know how much you really wanted it," he said with a laugh.

"Sure. So it is a present for you, after all."

"It's for both of us."

She opened the _Modern Kamasutra_ with a hum. She was rather curious to see what was inside. She noticed some dog-eared pages and opened to one of them.

"I see you flagged some pages already."

"Well…it is my birthday," he growled into her ear, his hands reaching under her dress to caress her thighs. Damn he loved her legs.

She flipped to the next marked page and her eyes widened in surprise. She turned the book ninety degrees, studying it critically. She got off his lap and handed him the book. She made sure she had his complete attention before she began to unwrap her dress. She moved slowly, putting on a show for him, enjoying the way his eyes ran over her body. She let the slinky black dress fall to the ground, revealing a sheer red bra and matching panty she bought especially for his birthday.

"Well, I guess that's two presents for you."

She gave him a moment to get an eyeful, running her hands seductively over her body. When he moved to pull her towards him, she stepped out of his grasp.

"Where ya goin?"

"To your room. We're gonna need more space for this one." She tapped the book still opened on his lap. "You grab some whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and the champagne and I'll go find a few of your ties."

She walked away from him, exaggerating the sway of her hip, her thong showing off her perfect round ass. She reached the door and looked over her shoulder, giving him a wink. Ranma looked down at the page, his grin growing wide. He had found that page particularly interesting when he first looked at the book. He jumped off the couch and raced to grab a dining room chair.

Best. Birthday. Ever.

* * *

Ranma's stomach grumbled and he resigned himself to asking the question that he hated the most:

"What do you want to have for dinner?"

"I don't know, anything."

Ranma suppressed a groan. "Ramen?" he suggested

"Too heavy."

"Sushi?"

"I had that for lunch."

"Burgers?"

"Too greasy."

"Pizza?"

Akane only made a face in response.

"Well then, what do you suggest?"

"I don't know! Anything really. Let's just pick something and go!" Her stomach grumbled.

"Fine, Chinese."

Akane groaned. "We always have Chinese!"

The pigtailed man rolled his eyes and walked into the kitchen. He grabbed a candy bar and threw it at the blue-haired girl, who tried to catch it with both hands. It fumbled and fell onto her lap. She eyed it and then Ranma questioningly.

"You're not you when you're hangry," he said dryly.

She wanted to snap at him but knew that would just prove his point. She unwrapped the candy bar and took a bite. By the time she finished eating it, she felt better. Not that she would admit it.

"So, we still haven't figured out where to eat. What do you feel like?" he asked after she wolfed down the candy.

"Anything," she said with a shrug.

"Thai?"

"Too spicy."

"Udon?"

"Too bland."

They ended up having Ramen.

* * *

 **A/N:** I have no idea if there are Hipsters in Japan and I have nothing against them but I seriously hate man buns. Can you tell? The first part of this chapter was suppose to be part of the last chapter but I was having too much fun writing the small moments of them together.

I just want to say thank you to **AkaiKamiRyu** for being my 300th review and everyone who has reviewed so far! I really appreciate it! Your comments really keep me going!

Shout out to **alwaysZutarian** for her amazing help.


	19. Chapter 19

Sitting in the quad, Akane pulled out her phone when it vibrated in her bag. She looked down to see a text from Ranma.

 _I'm bored._

She rolled her eyes.

 _Shouldn't you be working on your paper?_

 _I am.  
W_ _hy do you think I'm bored?_

She chuckled at that one.

 _What do you want me to do about it?_

 __ _Come over. Keep me company.  
_

 _Don't think you're being sly.  
_ _I know what that means.  
_ _You just wanna have sex._

 _Hey, I didn't mention sex. You did.  
_ _It must be on your mind.  
_ _So come over._

 _I can't come over, I have class in ten minutes.  
_ _I'll stop by later._

They had plans to see each other the next day and it pleased her that he missed her and wanted to see her sooner.

 _Okay, then send me something to keep me company while I wait.  
_ _Something sexy…_

 _You want me to sext you?  
_ _I'm in the middle of the quad!_

She stared at her phone incredulously. Was he really asking her to send him naughty pictures while she was in public?

 _Be creative._

Akane shook her head about to text him 'no' when she saw the three dots on the bottom of her screen indicating he was writing her another text.

 _I dare you._

She stared at her phone. She had never really sexted anyone before and had a personal rule against it. It was something they discussed after he asked her for pictures and she turned him down. Not that it stopped him from trying, Ranma wasn't one to give up and it was getting harder and harder for her to say no. The request had always seemed so sleazy when anyone else asked but with Ranma it took on a new flavor. The idea now seemed exciting and daring. She knew he would be turned on by it and damn it if she wasn't too. And he _knew_ she wouldn't be able to turn down a dare.

She could admit to being curious. If she sent him pics, he would have to send one back, right? The thought brought a smile to her face and her mind was made. She was curious to see what he would do. But what could she send him? She wavered back and forth before she found a solution; send something that was appropriate and sensual at the same time.

She angled herself so that she was facing a wall, and checking to see if anyone was around her, turned her camera on selfie mode. She fixed her hair and checked her make-up before adjusting her breasts so she would get more cleavage. Checking her surroundings again, she clicked onto video mode. After several attempts at a sexy face (she kept cracking up and ruining the effect), she smiled in the sly seductive way he liked. She pressed record and ran her tongue slowly around her mouth, before biting her bottom lip between her teeth, ending the short vid with a wink. She replayed the video, embarrassed at what she had done. She was about to delete it but impulsively pressed send before she could overthink it.

She sat there nervously, waiting for a response. It wasn't exactly what he wanted but she hoped that he liked it. God, what if he didn't like it? She would feel like such an idiot. Luckily, she didn't have to wait long before he responded.

 _Damn. That was so hot.  
_ _You know how much I love your mouth._

 _You mean you love what I do to you with my mouth.  
_ _What I'm gonna do to you with my mouth…_

 _Don't stop. Tell me more._

 _No more, you're gonna have to wait._

 _I don't wanna wait.  
_ _Send me something else!_

 _It'll be worth it.  
_ _If you're a good boy._

 _Fuck. You're such a tease._

 _I'm only a tease if I don't follow through…  
_ _I'll see you after class,_ she added as a promise.

 _I can't wait._

Finally done with his essay, Ranma sat with a magazine but his mind was focused on something, or more accurately, someone else completely: Akane.

He was wondering what she would be wearing when she came over, or more specifically what she was wearing underneath. The girl seemed to have a penchant for wearing sexy underwear – a habit he fully supported - and getting her undressed always felt like he was opening a present. The surprise inside was always worth the wait. From the lacy black, to the racy red, the body suits, the garters, to when she went braless, and hell, even her wearing a simple white bra and panties was hot as hell.

Then there was that one time they went to a party together and she was wearing a slinky dress that hugged her every curve. She seemed to be taking extra care in how she sat and when he teasingly asked her what she was wearing underneath, he was surprised when she gave him a wide eyed innocent look and said, 'Nothing.' His mind fried and for a moment he could only look at her wide eyed. Despite trying to get her to leave with him immediately, she made them stay. At least for a little. What followed was a very energetic, very memorable night.

Which wasn't a surprise because over their time together he had discovered that she was a creative and enthusiastic partner, open to trying new things but not afraid to say no when he suggested something she wasn't comfortable with. Costumes and props, yes. Sexting, no. Looking at the video she sent him again, he smirked and thought he might be changing her mind on that one. Needless to say, he was having the best sex of his life.

They had been together for a while now and it continued to surprise him how much he still wanted her. In his experience, once he had the girl and the chase, the anticipation was gone, he quickly grew bored. But with Akane, he had this almost incessant need to be with her and seemed to always want her.

It wasn't just the sex either. She was smart, funny, and genuinely a good person. He _liked_ spending time with her. He couldn't remember ever enjoying a girl's company as much as hers. She made him laugh. He enjoyed their talks. It was amazing how much they had in common and it was always fascinating to watch her when they disagreed. She was fiery when she debated a subject she was passionate about. That wasn't to say she was perfect, because she wasn't. She had quite the temper, which he couldn't help but poke at once in a while. Mainly because it was fun to see her riled up but also because she was oblivious to his teasing, and after snapping at him, would feel guilty for overacting. Needless to say, the make-up sex was always worth the effort.

Bored and slightly horny from waiting for her, an idea formed and he jumped in the shower. Coming out, he wrapped a towel low on his hips and took a selfie from the neck down, his skin still dripping wet. He sent her the picture and she replied with, _Now whose the tease?_

Ranma smiled smugly even before his brain could started functioning again. She hadn't made it after class, having gotten pulled into a study group and then going home to have dinner with her father. He had been disappointed but the wait was worth it. The picture seemed to work because when she came in she all but jumped him. She stripped off his clothes and pushed him onto the couch. She used that fantastic mouth of hers before riding him like a race horse: hard and fast.

Now she sat gloriously naked and panting astride him as she came down from her orgasm. She kissed him on the mouth before settling down next to him and snuggling in.

"That was amazing," Ranma said.

"Yeah, it was."

"So, did I change your mind on sexting?"

"No, I'm still not sold on it but you've opened it up, a little."

"Wanna go to bed?"

Akane pulled back giving him a questioning look. "Again? Already?"

He squeezed her ass playfully. "Even I need more time than that," he said cockily. "Give me ten…"

He trailed off as he eyed her breasts pressed against his body, heaving slightly, still covered in sweat. Her long leg thrown carelessly but seductive over his. Her hand rested on his lower abdomen, grazing his happy trail, and he felt his blood start pumping again.

"Five more minutes if you wanna go again," he amended. "But I was asking if you wanted to go to _sleep_ , you've had a long day."

He kissed the top of her head gently. He knew exactly how hard she pushed herself and how much she managed to cram into a single day. Akane yawned as she looked at her watch and sighed.

"I can't. I told Daddy that I would be back soon. In fact, I better get going."

She got off the couch and began picking up her clothes. Ranma rubbed his hand over his face, the familiar feeling of frustration he got every time she had to leave after sex getting to him. He wanted her there, asleep in his bed. He liked falling asleep with her in his arms and always slept better when she was there. He liked waking up next to her and hanging out. It was frustrating that she always had to go.

 _Fuck. I'm turning into a clingy little bitch,_ he thought disgustedly.

He shook his head and began looking for his own clothes. He pulled on his boxers as she was buttoning her jeans. Understanding the look on his face, she came over and hugged him from behind.

"Don't be upset. We've talked about this. Daddy is already suspicious of me spending every weekend at 'Ukyo's' but it'll be worse if I started spending weeknights here, too."

"I know, I know," he said with a groan. Then he voiced a thought he was having more and more lately. "Maybe we should just tell our parents the truth."

"Maybe we should. I'm tired of the sneaking around." She sighed again as she imagined their parents' response. "Are you ready to deal with the madness, though?"

Just announcing to their parents that they were dating wouldn't solve all their problems. Yes, their parents would finally know where they were spending all their time but would that make it easier for them to spend their nights together? He doubted Soun would be happy with the idea of Akane sleeping over at his apartment. In fact, that could possibly make the situation worse. Memories of the last time the Tendo patriarch thought Ranma had sex with his youngest daughter – and the consequences from it – flashed through the pigtailed-man and he winced. His balls feeling the phantom sting of dozens of kicks to the groin.

"Maybe…we shouldn't."

Akane chuckled, understanding his hesitance completely. Although she couldn't ignore the small ball of disappointment that formed in her belly. She pulled away from him, trying to push the feeling away as she put on her bra and top.

"I just wish you could stay."

"I know. Me, too."

She went over and kissed him.

"I'll be back tomorrow. You can wait one night, right?" she asked jokingly.

"Hey, it's not my fault your pussy is so addictive."

She rolled her eyes at his bravado and moved away from him but he wasn't having it and pulled her back into a hug.

"I'm gonna miss you," he whispered into her ear as he held on.

She knew he wasn't the type to talk about his feelings, so the admission and simple act of affection was more intimate to her than the sex they just had. She rested her head on his chest as she let the warm feeling spread through her, dissolving all irritation away.

When he didn't get a response, Ranma added, "You gonna miss me?"

 _Fuck, I really am needy,_ he thought.

"If you're lucky. I've already got what I wanted from you," she teased.

"I feel so used."

She pulled away to finish getting dressed.

"You want me to walk you home?" he asked.

"No, I'll be fine," she said and smiled. It was sweet that he worried.

"Okay, text me when you get back?"

"Sure."

With another kiss she walked out the door. He stared at it gloomily, the feeling of dissatisfaction coming back.

Akane, Ukyo, and Ranko were sitting in the food court of the local mall, bags surrounding them as they enjoyed various snacks. It had been one of those rare days that everyone had been successful in finding a few things that they liked. They had already been shopping for a couple of hours when they stopped for a pick me up and to rest their feet. The youngest Tendo was pleased that the other two girls were getting along as both were opinionated, which could rub people the wrong way if they didn't understand their humor. She was taking a sip of her boba when she felt her phone vibrate. Pulling it out of her purse she saw she had a text from Ranma.

 _Just got back from my work-out. You still coming over after shopping?_

She smiled and texted back quickly, _Yeah. We might be a bit longer though, we're looking at shoes next._

She only shook her head in amusement when she received a Van Gogh scream emoji in response then tucked her phone away. When she looked up both Ukyo and Ranko were staring at her.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing. How's Ranma doing?" the chef asked.

"Fine. He and Ryoga are done with their workout."

"See? I told you it was him. She only gets that goofy look on her face when she's talking to or about Ranma," the chef said to the redhead.

"Ugh," Ranko said with feigned disgust. "Tell me about it. He's the same way about her." She turned to Akane and added, "Can't you tell your _boyfriend_ to let you have a little fun without him checking up on you?"

"Your _brother_ was just asking if I was coming over later, he wasn't checking up on me."

"Geez, that maybe even worse. He's more like a puppy dog than a boyfriend hounding you like that. It's a little sickening to be honest."

Akane scoffed, Ranma was plenty of things but puppy dog was not one of them.

Ukyo laughed, waving her hand dismissively in the air, "It's because their relationship is new and they are in the lovey dovey stage."

"Ohhhh, they're in _l-o-ve_ ," the redhead said in a sing song voice. Then she stuck her finger in her mouth in a vomiting motion.

The blue-haired girl only rolled her eyes as she pushed some uncomfortable feelings down. "You're one to talk about lovey dovey, Ukyo. For months, I've had to watch you and Ryoga making goo-goo eyes and paw at each other like he was home for shore leave from a two year tour of duty." When Ranko snickered, she turned to her and said, "Didn't you just buy a new dress just to impress Sentaro on your date? And you spent five minutes on how good the tea he made you was? Tea," she repeated dryly. She stared at the redhead with a raised eyebrow, until Ranko looked away, her cheeks slightly pink.

When both girls looked appropriately abashed, she picked up a french fry and popped it into her mouth while the pair changed topics quickly. Akane wasn't one to roast her friends but when she did she was savage and neither of them wanted to be on the receiving end of that. The blue-haired girl gave herself a moment to collect her thoughts as she listened absentmindedly to their chatter. Without meaning to, her two closest friends had managed to pinpoint the doubts she had been having lately.

The problem was, she didn't really know what they were. They'd never had _The Talk._ He never called her his girlfriend when he introduced her to people, so she didn't feel comfortable calling him her boyfriend. They were exclusive, she knew that much from their discussion when they just started dating. Was that enough for them to be in a _relationship?_

From the outside their relationship seemed to be going really well. Even to her, everything seemed good. They spent as much time together as possible considering their busy schedules. They got along well but like any other couple had their fights, which were resolved surprisingly quickly considering both their stubbornness. The sex was amazing, which was an understatement considering their chemistry. She swore all he had to do was look at her with those soulful blues eyes or give her that sexy smirk and her panties went damp and she was looking around for the nearest place to get him naked.

But she didn't really know what she meant to him. Did they have to have _The Talk_ for it to be official? He still didn't want to tell their parents they were dating. She agreed at the beginning because it made sense to figure things out between them before announcing anything to their meddling parents, but their relationship was pretty solid now. Or at least _she_ thought it was. Was his unwillingness because he still had doubts?

She knew it was stupid because everything else was fine between them, so getting hung up over this little thing felt like she was being dramatic because Ranma wasn't the type of guy to spout poetry or talk about his feelings. He was a man of action and he showed her all the time how much he cared for her.

No matter how many times she told herself it didn't matter, she needed the words, the affirmation from him. But he had never told her how he felt about her and certainly never used the _L_ word. And to be fair, neither had she. Not because she didn't feel it, but because she didn't want to be the first to say it. She couldn't stand the idea that he would say it back to her because he was pressured to.

She knew she should just talk to him about it. Just ask him how he felt. But part of her was scared that he would tell her he didn't feel the same. If he didn't, she didn't know what she would do. Could she stay with someone who, while they had fun and enjoyed each other, didn't love her? Would she be okay waiting around to see if his feelings changed? Would that cause everything to change? Would she lose him? She just wasn't ready to deal with the repercussions of that conversation yet.

She pushed those doubts aside and smiled widely at her two friends. "You guys ready to look for some shoes?" When they nodded, she got up from the table and threw away her food, having lost her appetite. But at least she had some retail therapy to look forward to.

With half an hour between classes and no desire to sit in the library, Akane browsed the racks of books at the bookstore, hoping to find something interesting to read. It had been a while since she could read anything for fun but with summer coming up, she would have plenty of time to indulge. Even with her plans to take a larger roll with the dojo - helping with book keeping, management, and creating new lesson plans - should still leave her with plenty of free time.

However, that didn't take Ranma into account. With their loaded schedules, it was always a struggle to spend time together, but they made it work and would continue to. It helped that he would also be taking a roll at the dojo. Her father was ecstatic at the idea, since it would give him extra help around the dojo. Plus she knew that Soun was still hopeful that they would start dating, not knowing that they already were. She looked up when she felt a prickling sensation on her neck to find someone staring at her.

"Pervert girl," the striking woman said. She was beautiful, with long purple hair, wearing a figure hugging dress and looked vaguely familiar.

"Do I know you?" the blue haired girl asked in confusion, not really understanding why this stranger was so hostile to her.

"You not that stupid. You know who I am."

Akane's eyes narrowed as she tried to identify the person. It was the haughty look on her face that made it finally made click into place. _Oh this is going to be fun,_ she thought wryly.

"Oh, I do know you; you're Ranma's ex, right? I'm sorry but I don't know your name. The few times he refers to you he just calls you 'that crazy bitch'," she said with a smile.

The pig-tailed boy never mentioned her, it was Ranko who would tell the stories and used the term but Akane couldn't help but use the dig. She wasn't normally so hostile but the girl was so antagonistic and insulting, it put her back up.

"So, you still with Ranma, huh? That a surprise. You must be really kinky to keep him satisfied."

The Chinese ex-pat hadn't been surprised at all, she had known that they were still together since she was low-key stalking the Saotome male through his sister and friends. Every time she saw pictures of the two of them together it caused a fire in her stomach. They looked so fucking happy; it was disgusting.

"Funny, I don't find it very hard keeping him satisfied. Maybe it's just you." Akane looked her up and down in an insulting way. "You know what they say, looks aren't everything."

"Obvious not if he want short, flat chested girl like you." It was Shampoo's turn to give the blue-haired girl a once over and was thoroughly unimpressed with her jeans and t-shirt. "Why you no put effort to how you look and wear dress once in a while?"

"Because unlike you, I have more than just my looks. I spend time on other things, like my brain. You should try it sometime."

"You right, I see many men who get turned on by big brains." The Chinese Ex-pat only rolled her eyes. "I have enough of what keep men happy." She arched her back and looked down meaningfully at her generous breasts.

"Apparently not all men." She knew her comment hit the mark when the purple-haired girl's eyes narrowed and couldn't help but smirk. Anyone looking at her could recognize the look as something she had picked up from a certain pig-tailed man. "Now, is there something you wanted or did you just come by just to torture me with your company?"

Shampoo clenched her hands into fists, not liking how the encounter was going. She had intended to leave the girl feeling insecure and insulted, not the other way around.

"I only come to warn you. You have him for now, but Ranma not the type to stay around for long. Don't get too attached. You a toy he get bored of when he find something else shiny. He no love you. He no love anyone but self."

Akane knew what she was saying wasn't true but despite that, Shampoo's comments bothered her. They hit too close to home as she was beginning to wonder if he would get tired of her. She wasn't going to let the Chinese girl know how her words affected her and asked the obvious question.

"If you really think so badly of him, why are you still pinning over him?"

"I not, I have new boyfriend," she said superiorly.

She turned and waved her fingers at someone. Akane followed her gaze, taking a quick look then did a double take. At first glance the man looked like Ranma, but after taking a better look at him, she could see the differences. His hair, while styled the same in the front, was short in the back which he wore with a bandana. His eyes were an inky black, not a brilliant blue. His jaw wasn't as defined. The man was dressed in cargo pants and a simple tank, which displayed his bulky muscular arms that she knew came from working out with weights and seemed more for show than actual use. Overall he was attractive - and she knew she was biased - looked like a poor man's version of Ranma.

Shampoo turned back to see Akane eyeing her new boyfriend, and couldn't help but feel a little vindicated. Ryu was handsome by anyone's standards and she was particularly glad he had worn a shirt that showed off his amazing deltoids. Eyes on the blue-haired girl, she missed him eyeing Akane from head to toe, undressing her with his eyes. Smirking, he formed a 'V' with his index and middle fingers, putting them to either side of his mouth then sticking his tongue out, and flicking them lewdly at her.

 _Asshole,_ the youngest Tendo thought in disgust as she turned away. Looking at the Chinese Ex-pat, she said sincerely, "I hope you guys are happy together, you truly deserve each other." She normally wasn't so mean to anyone but since Shampoo seemed to enjoy antagonizing her for no reason other than her connection to Ranma, she didn't feel guilty.

"Remember what I say. He will leave you. Take it from someone who knows, there no making him happy," the Chinese girl said, meaning every word. She really had loved Ranma and had tried to make him happy in every way she knew how. If she wasn't good enough, then she figured no one would be.

Akane didn't respond and only watched as Shampoo walked back to her boyfriend. She left the bookstore without buying a single book and trying not to let the girl's words affect her but failing.

It was a few weeks later and Akane couldn't remember being in a better mood. The sun was shining, the birds were signing and finals were done! She had the entire day off before she started helping out at the dojo with her father. She had plans with Ranma to go to the zoo and was meeting him at the café inside for a quick bite to eat. Her sunny disposition turned a little sour as she entered the small restaurant and eyed the pig-tailed boy flirting with the waitress. Her eyes narrowed as she walked towards his table, calming down when she realized that the waitress was the only one flirting, batting her eyes and giggling at him. Ranma, though, seemed to be flirting back in an automatic way. Smiling absentmindedly back at the waitress and answering her questions. When she reached the table, Ranma turned his attention to her, giving her a real smile that made his eyes shine.

"Hey," he said, standing to give her a kiss on the lips.

"Sorry, I'm late," she said as she took a seat.

"I haven't been waiting long."

Akane looked up at the waitress, who only looked back at her in a measuring way, not at all embarrassed at being caught flirting with her date. The youngest Tendo gave her a small smile but when she realized she wasn't going to be greeted, asked in a sickeningly sweet voice, "Could I have some water while I look over the menu? It'll be a while until I figure out what I want."

"Of course," the waitress said with a tight smile at the clear dismissal. She was disappointed that the really cute guy in her section was taken. He hadn't really shown any interest in her, despite her obvious flirting but she was hoping to change his mind. She smiled when an idea came to her.

"What wrong?" Ranma asked. He had rarely ever heard her used that cutesy voice and only when she was annoyed with someone, like him.

"Nothing."

He raised an eyebrow now. She hadn't even looked up from her menu to answer him. One thing he learned about Akane was when she was upset she either ran really hot or really cold, the latter included giving him the silent treatment. He couldn't stand it and usually annoyed her until she broke. Usually though, things didn't get that far and he only had to wait her out. He hoped this was one of those times.

Akane sighed and put her menu down to find Ranma looking at her curiously. The waitress came by then, dropping off her water. She said 'thank you' automatically, and noticed that he didn't acknowledge the server at all. Suddenly she felt silly and stupid. She was letting her insecurities about their relationship get to her and was acting like a jealous bitch. Which was not okay.

"Sorry, it's nothing."

"Obviously, it's not."

He said nothing more and only continued to watch. She knew he would just sit there until she told him what was bothering her, not because he was a patient man, but because he was a stubborn one.

"I got a little…annoyed when I walked up and found you flirting with the waitress."

"And you got jealous." The idea made him smile and the big goofy grin on his face only made her want to smack him. "You know I wasn't flirting with her, right?"

"I know. I realized that after I got a little closer. It still bothered me," she muttered under her breath.

"It shouldn't. I was just talking to her."

"I know." She repeated, feeling ridiculous again. "Let's just drop it," she said, feeling embarrassed over the entire thing and thankful when he let it go.

They ordered and ate their lunch with her in a much better mood. Everything was fine until the bill arrived. The waitress had placed it near Ranma and left. It being her turn to pay, Akane grabbed it, and looking it over, found that the server had left her name and phone number on the bottom of the check.

"I think this was meant for you," she said in a clipped tone, handing the bill over before leaving the restaurant.

Surprised by her sudden change in mood and sudden departure, Ranma glanced at the check, and winced. He put in enough money to pay for the meal and went after her. He didn't have to go far as he found her outside, staring the giraffe exhibit.

"Hey, don't be mad. That wasn't my fault."

"I know that," she snapped. Feeling angry at the situation and even angrier that she overreacted. Feeling defensive, she added, "It's not like I'm the only one who gets jealous for no reason."

"Me? I don't get jealous," he scoffed, lying through his teeth.

"Really?" she asked doubtfully.

"Really."

He couldn't count the number of times he got irrationally jealous because some random dude was hitting on her because it happened _all_ the time. Everywhere. Some random barista serving her coffee, some dude making conversation with her while they were in line, and yes, sometimes their waiter. She thought that they were all simply being _nice_ to her and never saw it for what it was. It was frustrating but when he thought about it, it made sense. A girl who was that pretty would be used to people being 'nice' to them and wouldn't find it strange. As annoying as it was having her so naïve about it, it was better than her being egotistical or completely shallow about her looks.

It had always been an ego boost for him to walk around with a hot girl on his arm. He never cared if guys checked them out or even hit on them, since they didn't mean much to him as more than accessory. He didn't feel bad about it because most of them felt the same way about him. But with Akane, it still felt good having her beside him but for different reasons. He was amazed that a woman like her would choose to be with him, when she had her choice of men. That she was with him for more than just sex.

So yeah he was jealous at the idea that anyone would try to come between them and threaten that. He only lied about it because he didn't want to admit to how bad it was. He only hoped she didn't see through him.

She didn't. And was a little hurt at the idea that he didn't get jealous at all. She didn't want to date someone who was possessive and overbearing but it a little jealousy wasn't a bad thing. It would mean that he thought she was desirable to other guys, right? That he thought of her as _his._ And it wasn't because the idea of him getting into a fight over her would be hot. Because it wasn't.

Okay, maybe the small part of her that devoured cheesy romance novels swooned at the thought but it was a very small part of her that she kept restrained for day dreams. She brushed off the idea as stupid and silly. It was a _good_ thing he trusted her. But it wouldn't hurt her ego at all if he acted a little protective of her when guys hit on her.

She took a deep breath and looked from the giraffes to Ranma, then noticed someone over his shoulder heading their way.

 _It's a good thing you don't get jealous because this might be awkward enough,_ she thought.

"Akane?"

"Hi, Shinnosuke."

* * *

 **A/N:** Muuaaahhhaaahhaa! I always feel like saying that when I leave a cliff hanger. I don't use them often but when I do, I like to leave an impact.

Can I tell you how much fun it is writing Akane-Shampoo scenes? In the real world, girls fight are more verbally than physically. Did you enjoy the verbal smack down? FYI, next chapter is the final one!

Thank you **alwaysZurtarian** for all your help! You're the best!


	20. Chapter 20

"Akane?"

Ranma turned at the question to see a tall male wearing brown khakis, a light blue shirt, and the zoo's dark blue employee robe walking towards them carrying a broom, which he propped on the fence when he reached them.

"Hi, Shinnosuke," the blue-haired girl said in greeting.

The pig-tailed boy frowned at the way her face and voice went soft. It was a tone he usually only heard when she was feeling particularly affectionate in their more tender moments. His frowned deepened when the two hugged and the stranger pulled her in close, lingering a few beats longer than appropriate. And...

Did he fucking _sniff_ her hair?

"Shinnosuke, this is Ranma, Ranma this is Shinnosuke."

The two of them gave each other short bows then the broom-wielding male turned to Akane.

"How are you?" he asked.

"I'm good. I just finished finals. How are you?"

"Good. I just started my internship here."

The blue-haired girl turned to Ranma and added, "Shinnosuke is studying to be a big animal vet." Turning back she said, "How is it going? Do you like it so far?"

"Pretty good so far, but I'm really only working on cleaning the pens for now," he said gesturing to his broom. "How's your dad? Is he still teaching at the dojo?"

"He's good, still teaching and working on the city council. How's grandfather doing since he moved back to Ryugenzawa?"

The pig-tailed man frowned at the way she asked the question. How is _grandfather_ , not _your_ grandfather.

"He's doing great. I talked to him yesterday. He asked about you actually. He kept going on about how much he misses your visits."

Akane smiled then, giving him the kind of smile that made Ranma's heart flutter and seemed to have to same effect on Shinnosuke, making the former grit his teeth.

"I miss him, too. I always had so much fun drinking tea with him and listening to his stories. Can you tell him I said hi the next time you talk to him?"

"Sure, it'll make him really happy to hear that you haven't forgotten about him."

"I could never forget about Grandfather. Besides, you're the one with the horrible memory," she said, poking him in the chest, causing both to laugh.

"That's true," he said and then blurted, "You cut your hair." He blushed a little at his outburst.

Shinnosuke reached up and twirled a few strands of the bottom of her hair with his fingers. The gesture was so casual and intimate that Ranma narrowed his eyes. He was about to smack Shinnosuke's hand away but the vet-in-training had already pulled it back and stuffed it in his pocket.

"Yeah, I cut it a year or so ago, after I started Tokyo U."

"It like it. Short hair really suits you. You look beautiful."

"Thanks."

Akane glanced down shyly and tucked her hair behind her ear and blushed, making Ranma see red, his hands clenched into tight fists at his sides. He didn't like the way she was reacting to Shinnosuke's compliment, like his opinion was important to her. Like _he_ was important to her.

"I better get back to work. It was really good seeing you," he said reluctantly. Wishing he could spend more time with her.

"It was good seeing you, too."

Shinnosuke turned to Ranma, giving him a nod goodbye and receiving a small one in return. He picked up his broom and left. He had gone a few yards before he turned back, giving Akane one last wistful glance before walking away.

* * *

Both Ranma and Akane had a lot on their minds after the encounter with Shinnosuke. Although they didn't talk to each other about their thoughts, it was obvious the other was preoccupied. Silence dominated their visit to the zoo and they left shortly after, heading back to his apartment.

When they walked in, Akane went to the living area and turned on the TV, flipping aimlessly through the channels, seemingly on autopilot. Ranma went to the kitchen, grabbed a beer and drank deeply. He stared at her from the counter, noticing how distracted she was, and he knew who was on her mind. He clenched his jaw, his teeth grinding together. Never one to step away from conflict, he decided to dive right in.

"So, who was he?"

"Shinnosuke?" she asked, never looking away from the TV.

"Who else?"

"Just an old friend."

Ranma scoffed and couldn't help but slam the beer bottle on the table, causing Akane to look over at him finally with a furrowed brow.

"What?"

"He was more than a friend."

"Okay, fine. He was. He's my ex."

"Why didn't you just say that in the first place?"

"Because I didn't think it really mattered."

"Of course it matters!" he yelled. Then took another swig of beer.

"Why?!" she yelled back.

The short leash she had on her temper snapped with his tone. She didn't understand why he was so upset. If anyone should be upset it should have been her! She still hadn't gotten over the incident with that waitress. She got up from the couch and threw the remote on the couch and stalked towards him until they were standing inches apart.

"Because he was…he was hitting on you!"

"He was not! Even if he was, I thought you don't get jealous so it shouldn't be a big deal!"

"Oh don't bring that up! You know it wasn't my fault she was flirting with me. I didn't flirt back, unlike you."

" _Excuse me?_ I was _not_ flirting with Shinnosuke."

"You let him touch your hair."

"I didn't _let_ him, he just did it. For like a second. What was I supposed to do, slap his hand away? It's not fun when the shoe is on the other foot, is it?"

"Of course not! You think that was my first time being jealous? I get jealous all the time! It's ridiculous! I fucking hate it when guys hit on you, it makes me want to punch each and every one of them in their fucking faces!"

"Then why did you tell me that you didn't get jealous?"

Although part of her felt better at finding out he got jealous too, she was pissed he lied about it. She had been brooding over the fact since the incident. She didn't know if he just wasn't the jealous type, which made her feel petty and ridiculous for overreacting. Or if he wasn't jealous because he just didn't care enough about her. She had been wracking her brain over it and it was his fault for not telling her the truth!

"I didn't want to make a big fucking deal out of it, alright? I just wanted to enjoy our afternoon together without getting into it over some chick I barely noticed," he said waving his arms in the air.

From the way Akane and Shinnosuke reacted to each other, he knew they had dated. From the vibes coming off each other, he knew they were important to each other. And from the way he had looked at her with such longing, the pig-tailed boy knew the broom-wielding ex would have taken her back in a heartbeat. He had so many questions running through his head. How long were they together? Where did they met? When did they break up? He needed answers and he knew which one he wanted first.

"Why the hell did you guys break up, anyways?"

An oppressive silence fell over the kitchen as Akane tried to gather her thoughts and was totally thrown by his question, one she was hoping he wasn't going to ask. She couldn't help but cringe. It did not go unnoticed by Ranma. She crossed her arms under her chest and turned her head to the side, avoiding his gaze.

"He proposed to me," she murmured.

Ranma spit out some of the beer that he just took a sip off and goggled at her. This was way more than he expected.

"He asked you to marry him? What did you say?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Since I'm currently unmarried, am not wearing an engagement ring," she wiggled her left hand in the air, "and I am here with _you,_ I think it should be obvious that I said no."

"And you didn't think this was important enough to tell me."

"No, I didn't. We never talked about exes!"

It was an unexpected consequence of the date when Azusa had interrupted them. The subject of exes was been avoided at first because it was awkward and a minefield to navigate. Then it became a habit to ignore. Now Akane was at peace with the issue. He had his past and she had hers. It was simple to accept once she realized that their pasts helped them become the people they were and she liked him for who he was. Looking at it like that, his past relationships didn't seem so important.

"Maybe we haven't but _I've_ never had a fiancée, that seems like the type of thing we should probably know about each other."

She rolled her eyes. "Then we don't have a problem, since I've never had one either. I really don't understand what the big deal is!"

"I think you having been engaged is a pretty fucking big deal, Akane!"

"I've never been engaged so you have nothing to be upset about!"

"I've got plenty to get mad about, since you were going to get married and never bothered to tell me about it!"

"For the _last_ time, I was _never_ engaged. I _never_ had a fiancé. I was _not_ getting married. I said 'NO'," she screamed back. His anger was putting her back up and his purposefully misconstruing the situation pissed her off. "Seriously, why are you so damn angry about this?"

"Because you're still in love with him!"

"That's ridiculous! I am not still in love with him."

"But you still love him."

Akane blinked a little, surprised at the comment. Her mouth opened in an automatic denial then closed. She opened and closed it again when she realized she had to think about it.

After a moment she finally said, "I guess…I do…I think that part of me will always love him."

Ranma stepped back as if she had slapped him with her words. He would have preferred a physical blow since it would have been less painful. She still loved Shinnosuke? Sure he had thrown the idea out there but with the hope that she would deny it. What did it mean for him? For them? She had been distracted ever since she saw Shinnosuke. Was she thinking about him the whole time? About how much she regretted her decision? Did she want him back? Was she only with him until she could go back to her ex? Was she thinking of a way to break things off? Or had he only been someone to fuck and keep her from being lonely?

Looking up she saw the hurt in his eyes and the angry look on his face. Realizing how her words could have been interpreted. She added quickly, "As a friend. Only as a friend. We have a past and part of me will always care for him. But I am not _in love_ with him," she said again.

She needed to make that last point very clear. She saw that his jaw was now clenched tightly and the vein on his forehead seemed to be throbbing, a sure sign that he was very upset. Ranma could only glare back at her, too frustrated to properly explain. He could barely get his thoughts in order as the idea of her still loving Shinnosuke overwhelmed everything else. Agitated and needing to move, he began to pace, running his hands through the front of his hair. She didn't know why he was blowing this out of proportion.

"Seriously, why does this bother you so much?" she asked in confusion. "So we dated! What's the big deal? You've had plenty of girlfriends. I met two of them! And one even felt me up!"

"Oh come on! Don't bring that up! I didn't ask for her to come over here and you know it."

"I'm only bringing it up to make a point. We've both had relationships before we met each other. I don't know about all the girls you've dated or slept with!" She put her hand up. "And I don't want to." She still thought it was better not knowing.

"That's different!"

"Why is it different? 'Cuz you're a guy and it's okay for you to date a lot and sleep around but it's not okay for me?!" she yelled, now pacing too. She was getting angry at the idea that he was being such a hypocrite.

"That's not it! I wouldn't care if you slept with the entire starting line-up of the Giants!"

"Then why are you so upset? You've dated other people and so have I."

"Because you love him!"

"Yes, but I'm not _in_ love with him, so it shouldn't matter!" Her hands were fisted in her hair and she threw them in the air beyond frustrated. "You've had girlfriends before, you know what's it's like to still care about someone even though you've broken up with them."

"No, I don't! You're wrong."

"You've got to have some feelings, been friends with one of your exes."

"That's not why you're wrong."

"Then why?!"

"Because I've never loved anyone before you!"

They had never had an argument like this. They bickered, argued, even had some heated debate but nothing like this, where they were yelling and screaming at each other. His heart was thumping loudly in his chest. He was starting to see red as he just couldn't get his thoughts in order.

His pacing only increased. He didn't understand why she just didn't get it. It was a damn fucking big deal. Shinnosuke and Akane had spent enough time together, they cared enough about each other that he wanted to _marry_ her. That he wanted to spend their lives together. They had a connection, one that was so deep and lasting that Ranma could see it in the short time he was around them. It was infuriating to think about! It was…

"Ranma, do you love me?" she asked, her voice oddly quiet.

"Of course I do! That should be obvious!" he answered automatically.

He continued to pace and stew. If she hadn't said no, she could have been married by now. Maybe with a baby. The possibility of her carrying another man's baby made him furious, even though it was totally in his head. He glanced up the sound of laughter and only began to glare when Akane started to laugh so hard she had to grab her sides. What the fuck? Did she think this was joke? The thought only made him angrier.

"Why the hell are you laughing?"

"Because you never told me that you loved me! How was it supposed to be obvious?"

Ranma stopped and stared at her, finally realizing what he had let slip in his anger. He had wanted to tell her for a while now but since he had never said it to anyone before, he was nervous and had chickened out each time he tried. He had almost let it slip so many times, especially in their more intimate moments but he didn't want her to think he had only said it in the heat of the moment. He wanted it to be special, not like this. Suddenly realizing how far off the rails things had gotten, he sighed as the wind left his sails.

"I know I never said it, but you had to have known."

"I didn't. I mean…I hoped you did. I _thought_ you did but then you never said anything and I wondered if I was…was just somehow misinterpreting things and making more out of this than there was," she said voicing the fear and confusion that had plagued her for weeks.

Hearing the pain in her voice, he walked over and took her into his arms, stroking her back comfortingly. "I'm sorry, I should have told you sooner. I was just really…nervous about it. I've never said that to anyone before because it would have been a lie, it would have cheapened it. I wanted it to matter when I did say it." He pulled back from her and waited until she looked at him. "I love you, Akane."

She would never forget the way he looked at her then, his eyes sparkling with so much love that she could see the truth of it. She smiled at him, her eyes welling with tears of happiness. He kissed her forehead and pulled her against him again. She closed her eyes, causing a small tear to trickle down her cheek and sighed. Her heart seemed to swell and all of the turmoil, the worry, the anxiety that she had been feeling shifted and settled into a warmth that filled her.

"So…" she heard whispered in her ear.

"So?"

"Well…do you…do you…love me?" he asked.

The nervousness in his voiced caused her to smile and she just couldn't help herself. "Isn't it obvious?" She yelped when she felt her bottom being pinched.

"Akane," he said in a low warning voice.

Pulling back, she said, "Of course, I love you," echoing his earlier sentiment.

She got on her tip toes and kissed him on the lips softly, the warmth from before turning hot with the need to show him how much she loved him. She kissed him again, more firmly, putting her hands on the back of his head and pulling him closer, and was disappointed when he pulled back.

"What about Shinnosuke?"

She sighed and thumped her head on his chest before stepping away from him. It looked like making love to him would have to wait. She took his hand and led him to the couch, wanting to be comfortable while they talked.

"Shinnosuke and I dated while I was in high school. We bumped into each other, literally, on the first day of school. I dropped my book bag and he picked it up for me. We introduced ourselves and he walked me to class. When I got to school the next day, we met at the gate again. He blushed because he couldn't remember my name. Every day after that he was waiting at the front gate for me and would pretend he couldn't remember my name as an excuse to talk to me. He was sweet and shy and kind of awkward. I couldn't help be flattered at his attention and interested in him and we started dating soon after. We were together the entire time we were in high school. He was my first boyfriend...my first everything really."

Her cheeks reddened as she remembered her first time where they both fumbled their way through the encounter, their enthusiasm and eagerness making up for their lack of skill to still make it a good experience.

"Well, if he's so perfect why the hell did you break up with him?" Ranma couldn't help the bitter tone in his voice.

"Because he wasn't perfect and neither was I, even though he treated me like I was. Whenever I got angry at him he would just sit there and take it. He would never tell me I was out of line or I was over-reacting. He'd just be patient and understanding until I felt like a total bitch, which I kinda was. But I felt so bad that I stopped getting angry at him, or stopped showing him I was angry. He was constantly late because he kept forgetting where and when we were supposed to meet. He didn't do it on purpose, he just had the worst memory. I hated it but I just swallowed my anger and didn't voice my opinion because I knew I would only get a calm, sincere apology in response. What use was it to get angry when nothing would change?

"When he asked me to marry him, I was shocked. We were so young. We had just finished high school and were planning on going to different colleges. He was so sure of his feelings and so confident in us. I told him I had to think about it and I did. I realized that I wasn't ready for marriage and definitely not with him. I couldn't imagine living my life trying to live up to this ideal he had of me. The funny thing was, he never asked me to but I couldn't help but want to be perfect for him."

She stopped then, her throat a little thick from emotion and dry from all the talking. She went to the kitchen, giving them both some time to gather their thoughts.

Ranma had listened to her story, his gut, so twisted at the beginning of the tale unwound as his mind tried to process everything she had said. He couldn't imagine Akane holding in her temper successfully for long. She was normally a sweet and kind person so when she snapped it was a sight to behold as it was such a contrast to her normally sunny disposition. Once she voiced her anger she was quick to get over it because she was not one to hold grudges, something he was personally very thankful for, because if she was he would never had a second chance with her. Very few girls would have forgiven him for that horrific blind date to give him a second chance. With all he knew about her he couldn't imagine her bottling up her feelings like that.

She sank back into the small couch, taking a long gulp of her water and tightening the top, keeping the bottle in her hands to give her something to fidget with.

"When I got to college, I dated a lot. It was a new experience for me, never having done it in high school. It was fun and exciting, flirting with guys and being hit on. I slept with some of them and those I did, I ended up dating for far too long. I realized it was hard for me to separate the physical from the emotional and became selective with whom I even dated. Before you, it had been months since I had been intimate with anyone."

Ranma nodded. He hadn't thought it important to learn about her past, having figured out some of it for himself but hearing it from her and the reason behind her behavior shed some light onto her actions.

"When I met you I thought you were the most egotistical, selfish, self-centered, aggravating man I'd ever met. Then I got to know you and realized you _are_ egotistical, self-centered, and aggravating."

She ignored his frown and "chh" sound he made under his breath.

"But you're not selfish. Underneath that rough exterior, you're so compassionate. You're kind and honest, almost brutally so. I don't feel like I need to be perfect for you, I just need to be the best me I can because you see me for who I am, warts and all, and despite all that, you accept me for it.

"What I feel, _felt_ for Shinnosuke doesn't compare to what I feel for you. I never thought…thought I could love someone as much as…as I love you," she said with a blush, a little embarrassed at the confession. She gave him a small tentative smile.

Whatever turmoil was left inside Ranma was gone with her admission. He smiled then, his blue eyes twinkling, causing her heart to flutter wildly in her chest. He had been so worried about how to tell her he loved her that he never realized how much he needed to hear her confession, too. How her words, her obvious affection and feelings would both soothe his soul and stir him up emotionally at the same time. He had been stupid to wait so long, never considering how it could cause so many misunderstandings. It's was something he intended to fix immediately.

"I love you not despite all your 'warts' but because of them."

Akane beamed at him then, giving him that bright smile that always made his heart thump loudly in his chest. Ranma didn't always say the right thing but once in a while his words struck the perfect cord and made her heart swell, she couldn't help the happy tears welling in her eyes.

"I love your temper, it's a good thing, it means you're passionate. You're stubborn and we butt heads about things but I don't want someone who is going to just agree with everything I say, that would be boring. It amazes me how determined you are. I mean you're seriously a disaster in the kitchen but you don't just give up like most people would, you keep trying no matter how many times your stomach needs to be pumped."

That earned him a slap on the arm as she laughed, her tears drying in her eyes like he intended. Having heard about her past, he thought it only fair to tell her about his.

"I dated a lot on high school, girls naturally gravitated to me because I'm good at sports and, come on, just look at me," he said, gesturing to himself, causing her to laugh again as she rolled her eyes at him.

"I had a few girlfriends in high school but nothing that lasted very long or that was very serious. They were with me more for who I was, not because they really liked me. None of them tried to get to know me. So I dated around. I won't lie, I made some stupid mistakes, ended up hurting some of them, but I was young and stupid. I learned from that and haven't ever purposely tried to hurt anyone since, I've always been honest about what my intentions were.

"From the first moment we met, you interested me. When I first saw you I thought you were cute but prim and proper, definitely not the type of girl for me. You surprised me when you threw that money on the table and walked away. When I went to that club, I was looking just to hook up but I couldn't focus on anyone else because you were there and you were so different from what I originally thought, and I couldn't stop from watching you. Even when I thought I should try to get you to hate me, I couldn't help but be riveted by you. Then we kept running into each other and every time I thought I had you figure out, I discovered something new. It go to the point that all I could think about was you.

"You are the most fascinating woman I have ever met. It's no surprise that I fell in love with you. Before you I never really gave a thought about finding 'love', I was happy with the way I was living. I would have been happy to live the rest of my life single because I never felt lonely or like I was missing anything. Since you came into my life…it's…been…"

He paused then, not knowing how to voice how much she had changed his world and how much she had affected him without sounding like one of those guys from those chick-flicks. Saying 'she made his life brighter' seemed cheesy and saying 'she completed him' was mellow dramatic. They were each their own person and complete on their own. He just knew she made…

He took a deep breath. "My life is better because you're in it. I'm only sorry that I didn't tell you sooner and made you doubt my feelings."

"It's okay. I'm okay. How about you?" She grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly. "Are you still upset about the Shinnosuke thing?"

Ranma shook his head.

"So, I guess it's time to tell our parents, huh?"

Ranma sighed and shook his head. Then he pinched the bridge of his nose; he could already feel the headache forming.

"I guess we have no other option."

"Would you rather we keep sneaking around?"

Eyes closed he missed the way Akane stiffened but he couldn't miss the coolness in her voice. He looked up to see her frowning at him. Confused, he grabbed her hand.

"Of course not. I just don't want to deal with my parents. That's all."

"So…you're not…not embarrassed by…"

"No! Definitely not. I could _never_ be embarrassed by you."

It finally hit him then, how much he had hurt her by not telling her his feelings. For her to even consider the possibility he would be embarrassed being with her meant she must have been more upset than she admitted to. Guilt overwhelmed him and he promised himself that he would never let her feel that way again. He would always be honest with her about his feelings.

Ranma gave him a smile and added, "My parents adore you, they're going to be so happy that we're together. That's the problem, pops is going to be so freaking smug. He loves being right. He's gonna totally rub it in my face and never let me forget it. And mom…when we tell them we're together, if she can go two hours without mentioning marriage or babies, it'll be a miracle."

Akane chuckled. "Daddy is going to be the same way. He's right once and it'll validate all his meddling and give him a reason to stick his nose into our lives. At least we have Ranko on our side. She's so supportive and will totally help us in her usual quiet, low-key way," she added dryly.

Ranma chuckled at the last part and he pulled her onto his lap.

"We'll deal with it."

"Together."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in for a kiss. It started out sweetly, lips moving together gently. It turned into more quickly as the tumultuous emotions from their argument mixed with the need to express themselves physically. Ranma hooked his arms under her legs and back, lifting her up and took her into his room. He wanted them to be comfortable when he showed her exactly how much he loved her. And with how much he felt for her it would be a very long night but he was up to the task.

* * *

The following Sunday Ranma and Akane arrived at dinner together. It had become such a common sight that there were no more questions on whether or not they were dating. It was a little disappointing since they were finally ready for the truth. But they both shrugged it off, neither of them wanting to make a big announcement of it.

It was during dinner when Nodoka started to get suspicious that there was more going on between the two of them. She had had the thought for a while, noticing _something_ between them. They were obviously attracted to each other and obviously got along but they kept insisting that they were only friends. She of course hoped that that would change as she was really fond of the Akane and thought she was a really good influence on her son. But, this was the first time she sensed a change in the way they interacted. They had always seemed guarded with each other, friendly but distant. But now they seemed so comfortable and casual in the way they interacted with each other. The way she laughed at his jokes, the way he looked at her. So she decided to keep an eye on them. It was during dessert when her suspicions were finally confirmed.

Nodoka came out with a plate containing a variety of mochi, setting it in the middle of the table. Knowing her family's eating habits - and Soun's though he was much better at hiding it – she picked up a piece of red bean mochi before the others could descend on the dessert like locusts and put it on Akane's plate.

"Here, this is your favorite, red bean right?" Nodoka asked. She had remembered that bit of information from their first dinner together. She had a knack for those kinds of details, especially when it involved someone she considered family. And to her, Akane was family. She just wished his son would make a move to make it official.

The blue-haired girl smiled at the Saotome matriarch's thoughtfulness. But before she could answer the mochi was swiped from her plate. Ranma took a big bite of it at the same time he replaced it with another piece.

"Sakura is her favorite," he said simply around a mouthful of the dessert.

Akane tilted her head to the side and smiled at him. "You remembered," she said softly. She reached up and wiped the bit of powder from the corner of his mouth before leaning over and kissing his cheek.

The table went completely silent as the pair continued eating as if nothing unusual had happened. Genma gaped at them, his mouth already half full of mochi. Soun stared at them wide-eyed, his teacup hovering just in front of his mouth. Ranko smiled at them while rolling her eyes, happy that they _finally_ decided to tell their parents the truth after so long. Nodoka goggled at them before a grin spread across her face.

The silence was broken as Nodoka, Soun, and Genma asked at the same time, "Are you two together?" "Akane, do you have something you want to tell me?" "Boy, did you finally man up and ask her out?"

The pair in question only smiled at each other.

"Yeah, we're dating now," Ranma said.

"For how long?" Nodoka asked being the most excited of the three.

"Ummmm…I don't know actually." Confused he looked at Akane.

"I don't know either."

"Your first date?" Nodoka asked.

"No, definitely not," Ranma said, shaking in his head. That had been a disaster and he didn't like to think about how he treated her that night.

"The second date?"

"Definitely not then," Akane said. She would never forget that date and not for the right reasons.

"The third date?" Nodoka asked a little wary now.

"That was a fun one! I really enjoyed that movie!" Ranko said with a winning smile.

Akane laughed. "We'll figure that out later. Let's just say it's been a while now."

"Oh, wonderful." Nodoka clasped her hands together. "You two are going to have the most beautiful kids! Can you imagine a little girl with your beautiful face and Ranma's blue eyes," she squealed, her eyes glazing over with the idea of her future granddaughter. "Or a little boy with his face and your smile! He'd be such a heartbreaker!" A grandson! She clapped her hands together, excited at the idea.

"I knew you two would hit it off. You shoulda listened to me sooner, boy! I'm always right when it comes to these things! Next time I give you some advice you should remember this." He clapped his friend on the shoulder. "Soun, we can finally join the schools!" The two men cheered with some sake.

Ranma gave the blue-haired girl a look that clearly said, _See? Told you._

Soun smiled, tears brimming his eyes. "Oh, I'm so happy! My daughter finally has a boyfriend! And someone from such a good family that can take care of her. Finally, someone to carry on the dojo!"

"Daddy…" Akane growled low in her throat.

"I mean…I mean to help _you_ run the dojo, Sweetie," the Tendo patriarch said, chuckling nervously. "To help you."

She kept her eyes narrowed on him.

"It's about time you told everyone! Just remember to keep your lovey dovey stuff to yourselves. It's seriously disgusting watching them together," Ranko said with an eye roll.

"Ranko!" Nodoka hissed.

Ranma and Akane shared another look of amusement before fielding more questions from the family. Things went almost exactly as they predicted with their announcement and although they were sure to be a meddlesome bunch to handle, it was all done out of love. An emotion that they both now completely understood.

* * *

 **A/N:** Tokyo has a professional baseball team called the Giants.

In my mind, Ranma and Akane, no matter the universe and maturity level, will always have problems with communicating when it comes to their feelings for each other. It will eventually lead to misunderstandings on how the other feels as they are insecure when it comes to each other and just need to get over that hurdle for their happy ever after.

I hope you guys enjoyed the story! It was fun to write and I hope it was fun to read. Thanks again to everyone who reviewed. Not to nag but the mom in me can't help myself: I would just like to say again that reviews really keep writers on this site going. We do it for free and reviews are the only form of reward we get for something we spend so much time and energy on. Even if you don't review this story, please consider reviewing others.

Thanks again to **alwaysZutarian** for all her help and encouragement, I couldn't do it without her!


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